After You
by Kinetically Charmed
Summary: No one had ever really known the truth as to why she'd just up and left. Everyone had their suspicions, but they were all nothing more than rumors without hard fact to back them up. Now, it was time for the hard facts...
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I've had the majority of this story on my computer for... a long time. And I was thinking about it yesterday and figured "why not". So here it is._**

**_(Not mentioned in the story description... there is a lurv triangle... eyebrow wag.)_**

**_After You_**

Chapter 1

She stepped out of the cab, a frown gracing her features subconsciously at the sight of the mansion before her. Its sturdy brick outer walls laced with creeper vines that climbed their way to the top, so high that she had to crane her neck to see. It had been so long since she stood here, staring at the mansion, admiring any part about it. She'd lived there for so long that after awhile; she'd begun to take for granted the natural beauty she'd been surrounded by every day. She was brought out of her trance by the sound of the cab driver clearing his throat.  
Back to reality.  
She quickly paid the man before gathering her belongings from the trunk of his cab. With a deep breath, she took one last look at the building, as if to decide if this was truly what she wanted. As if she could turn back right now and no one would ever know she'd been there. Which wasn't too far from the truth; the only person who had been expecting her was the Professor. And surely he would understand.  
Her suitcase in hand, she exhaled the breath she'd been holding and shook her head. On any other day, the building would not provoke such thoughts of fear. In fact, quite the opposite; she had nothing but fond memories of this place… for the most part at least. She sucked in her lower lip, willing herself to take the first step.  
She squared her jaw before tearing her eyes away from the mansion, glancing at the cab from over her shoulder as it drove away. The image of her chasing after it, dragging her suitcase behind her in a desperate attempt to escape flashed in her mind. As the cab reached the gates and rounded the corner, leaving her line of sight, she let out another deep sigh. So much for that idea.  
She hoisted her duffle bag over her shoulder and grabbed the handle of her suitcase, extending it until it clicked before dragging it along behind her up the steps less than gracefully.  
Coming to a stop before the dual oak doors she clenched her jaw a few times before sucking in a breath. No use prolonging the inevitable.  
She gave the door a few firm knocks. "Here goes nothin'..."

---

"Settle down half pint." Logan rolled his eyes at the giddy young woman as she skidded into the foyer. "You'll run out steam before the party's together."  
"I don't think zat is possible." Kurt smiled. "I saw her drinking her third cup of coffee..."  
Logan dramatically threw his hands up in the air. "Someone hide the caffeine."  
Kitty laughed at an alarming pitch. "Gimme a break guys, I gotta keep goin'... gotta keep up... keep up, keep up, keep goin'..." She snapped her fingers as she spoke prompting Logan to give Kurt a look that screamed that he hadn't been kidding with his prior comment.  
Kurt smiled silently, finding it best if he remained silent while Kitty was so spun.  
"And it's not a party y'know." She tittered. "Better not let Jean hear you call it that..."  
"She might go all Bridezilla on you!" Kurt smiled.  
"Ah... red couldn't pull of the whole psycho thing. Not her style." Logan waved their comments off with a grin. "My point is-"  
He stopped mid sentence, his attention turning to the large front door.  
"Vhat?" Kurt frowned. "Vhat is your point?"  
The knock at the door caused the other two to look along with him.  
"Oh don't worry everyone..." Storm rolled her eyes with a smile as she glided down the steps. "I will get it..."  
"Who is it 'Ro?" Logan frowned.  
"I don't know. I just control the weather." She winked before tapping her nose "You on the other hand, should be able to pick up a scent." She came to a graceful stop in front of the door, tugging it open in one fluid motion, the smile on her face instantly turning into pure shock.  
"Honey... ah'm home."  
Kitty gasped, throwing her hands over her mouth before squealing. "Rogue!!"  
"Come here child!" Storm pulled Rogue in to a careful embrace.  
Rogue hugged her back, grinning from ear to ear. Storm pulled away, holding her at arms length "You look amazing!"  
"Likewise sugah." She looked past Storm at her foster brother who simply stood with a look of sheer shock written all over his fuzzy blue features.  
"Ain'tcha gunna give y'sister a hug or are y'just gunna stand there lookin' like a fool?"  
Kurt simply shook his head. "Rogue..?"  
Rogue braced herself as Kitty hurled herself at her.  
"Kitty..." Rogue patted the young woman's back. "Aww Kit... don't cry..."  
Kitty pulled away, smacking Rogue's arm as she sniffled, wiping her bleary eyes with a frown. "Don't cry?! Nu uh... you can't tell me that... Where have you been?!"  
"Ah've been..." Rogue looked from her friends hazel eyes to the set of cobalt eyes that burned into her. "... around."  
This was what she had been worried about. The angry reaction she'd get for coming back. No, not for coming back... for leaving in the first place. At least what she was worried about today...  
"Vhy... vhat..." Kurt shook his head, the same shocked expression on his face. "six years Rogue."  
She looked at her feet, pressing her lips together. "Ah know."  
Professor Xavier wheeled into the foyer with a smile "Ah there you are. Did you have a safe trip?"  
Rogue nodded at him, adjusting the strap on her shoulder with a wince. "Yeah. Pretty straight forward."  
"We have a room set up for you upstairs... I trust you still remember your way around?"  
She nodded again with a smile. "'Course."  
"Hang on there Chuck. You mean you knew she was comin'?" Logan frowned.  
"Yes. She contacted me some time ago." Xavier nodded at Logan with a grin.  
She smiled at Kitty who grew more and more excited with every word the older man spoke.  
"Ah wish you woulda told everyone ah was comin'."  
"Vhy, you didn't tell anyone you vere leaving." Kurt shot. Before Rogue could respond Kitty grabbed her arm and jumped up and down.  
"So you're really back?!" Kitty squealed.  
"Ah'm back." Rogue said with a shrug, adjusting the strap on her shoulder again.  
"Marrow, would you please show Rogue to her room?" Xavier asked the tall fair-haired woman with a grin.  
"Sure!" She stepped towards Rogue, extending her hand. "My name's Sarah."  
"Anna." Rogue shook her hand. "Nice t'meet you."  
"Rogue?"  
Her head snapped around at the sound of his familiar voice, catching sight of his light blue eyes that crinkled in the corners with his wide smile.  
She gasped "Joseph?!"  
She let the bag drop off her shoulder, hitting the ground with a _thwock._ Kitty smiled, looking between the two before tugging Kurt's arm to pull him away from his estranged foster sister.  
"Wh… ah thought you left t'… for good." She waved a gloved hand in the air as she said the last two words.  
"Well y'know, you can only stay away from here for so long…"  
She moved over to him and gave him a friendly hug "Ah didn't expect t'see you again!"  
Rogue stepped back from Joseph and shook her head. "It's… good t'see you."  
"You too."  
"You'll have plenty a'time t'catch up later." Logan grunted, looking at Marrow. "Take her up to her room Kid."  
"Aye aye Captain." Sarah saluted the stocky mutant, hoisting her duffel bag up off the ground with an easy grin.  
"Thanks." Rogue tugged her suitcase along behind her.  
Logan watched the two in silence as they walked up the steps. No one had ever really known the truth, himself included, as to why she'd just up and left. Everyone had their suspicions, but they were all nothing more than rumors without hard fact to back them up.  
Now, it was time for the hard facts. He crossed his arms with a frown as she looked at him from over her shoulder. Judging by the look on her face, she knew what was coming. And she wasn't looking forward to it one bit.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Decided to post two chapters just to get into the story more. Enjoy! And feel free to review!_**

2

He stood outside her door, letting out a deep breath before giving it a few quick knocks.  
"C'mon in." The muffled voice came from the other side of the door. He turned the knob and pushed it open.  
"Hey kid."  
Her back was to him, but he could tell she was frowning. "Hey y'self." She kept her back to him, rummaging through her suitcase that was sitting on her bed.  
"Welcome home."  
"Sure."  
He crossed his arms with a frown.  
"Look. Ah know y'all are mad at me for runnin'." She turned to face him. "An' ah don't expect y'all to understand. But ah had mah reasons. Alright?"  
The frown fell from his expression when she looked at him. How could he stay angry at her? He'd always had somewhat of a soft spot for her... nothing - not even six years, would ever change that.  
He nodded silently, causing a smile to play on her expression. "Good. Now... did y'miss me?"  
He smiled. "You bet."  
"You're such a liar." She laughed, shaking her head and turning back to her suitcase on the bed.  
"Am I... interrupting anything?" Sarah came to a stop next to Logan, her eyebrow pricking upwards with a small smirk.  
"Nah, just gettin' reacquainted with the ol'grouch." Rogue shook her head before looking over her shoulder at the willowy blond in the doorway.  
Sarah's smirk intensified from the look Logan was sending her way. Looks like she was a trouble maker. "Right. Well Anna, when you're ready... everyone downstairs is itching to meet the 'new' girl."  
Rogue uttered a throaty laugh, giving her head a quick shake as she spun around. "Y'all coulda told 'em. Ah'm not inta sappy reunions."  
The three of them made their way down to one of the mansions rec. rooms. Kitty was the first one Rogue saw.  
"Alright everyone..." Kitty announced "Here's our house guest!" She giggled.  
Jean's jaw dropped as she stood up. "Oh… my gosh!"  
Scott smiled, watching his fiancée rush over and give Rogue a hug. "Where have you been?!"  
"Ah went out for a pack a'smokes." Rogue smirked, giving Bobby a wave.  
"Welcome back." Hank smiled. "I knew you'd find your way."  
"You have no idea..." She laughed. "Ah'm..." She hesitated, tucking a stray hair behind her ear "It's good t'be here."  
Seven Jamie's ran through the doorway, straight past Rogue before every one of them did a double take causing her to laugh out loud. "Mah lord... y'all have grown!"  
"You too..." Bobby cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, getting a smack in the gut from a now 23 year old Jubilee.  
"An' Jubes!" Rogue shook her head "Sugah! You look great!"  
"You too." Jubilee moved over to her, flinging her arms around her neck carefully. "We missed you around here."  
"So," Sarah smiled, moving over to the couch. "How come I've never heard any stories about this one? I'm sure she made some... she seems like a little fire cracker."  
Kitty smiled uneasily, looking at Bobby.  
Bobby laughed, ignoring Sarah's question all together. "So what brings you back?"  
Rogue shrugged. "'Couple different things... you know the way life is." She tossed a hand in the air, leaving her answer at that.  
"You joinin' the X-Men again?!" Jamie asked, giving her a big smile.  
"Oh ah don't know..." She shoved her hands into her pockets, smiling at Joseph as he stopped behind Jubilee. "Lot's a'things have changed."  
"Don't know?" Jubilee frowned. "You mean you're not-" She stopped mid sentence looking past Rogue. Her eyebrows suddenly perked up a smile tugging the corners of her mouth. And Joseph frowned.  
"Well well well... look what d'river rat done gone an' dragged in."  
She froze. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room with that one simple sentence.  
Rogue spun around, her heart thudding so hard against her chest, she would have sworn everyone in the room could hear it if she didn't know better. He'd draped his arm around Sarah's shoulders, giving her that lopsided grin that dripped of charm.  
The look on her face caused the other side of his mouth to tug upwards, giving her a full grin. "Y'don' look happy t'see Remy."  
She crossed her arms instinctively, looking at Sarah who looked up at Gambit with a smile. "Did you know Anna before you left Rem?"  
The shocked expression fell from Rogue's face and she snapped back to reality.  
"Yeah... he knew me alright." She nodded, her mouth forming a thin line. "Hope y'keepin' him in line."  
Sarah laughed. "Like anyone can do that."  
"You know it, belle." He winked at Sarah before turning his attention back to Rogue. He took the sight of her in. Her hair was longer now, hanging a little beyond her shoulders. Her makeup was softer, along with her choice of clothing. Long gone were the days of the Gothic loner. She looked older. More mature. She was a woman. "You... you look good fleur."  
"Ah know." Rogue looked away with a smirk, keeping up the appearance of arrogance. But Remy couldn't help but notice her fidgeting with the fingers of her long green gloves. "What are you doin' here Gambit?"  
"I'm thinkin' Remy should be askin' you d'same question."  
Rogue slowly turned to look at him again "How's Belladonna?" her eyebrow perked up.  
"She sends her love." He smiled.  
"Ah'm sure."  
"So you stickin' 'round dis time?"  
"Are you?"  
He couldn't figure out what she was doing, acting as if nothing had happened. Was it sarcasm, or hostility, or some other angry emotion she'd been so known for harboring in her younger years? He blinked at her, still half expecting her to throw something at his head.  
"You've changed."  
"Ah should hope so sugah." She chuckled, looking over her shoulder at the others that sat behind her, clearly feeling the tension between the two. They all visibly relaxed with the sight of her smile. "That's what six years does to yah."  
"Oh this is so exciting!" Jean slapped her hands together with a wide grin. "You're just in time for the wedding!"  
"Ah know..." Rogue fidgeted with the fingers of her glove again as she spoke "It's why ah came earlier than Ah expected. Didn't wanna miss the event of the year... been a long time comin' too if ah might add..." She pointed at Scott with a smirk.  
"Really?" Jean furrowed her brow. "You... came early for me?"  
"Yeah. Ah... hope that's alright. Don't wanna... be a burden or anything..."  
Jean laughed. "No! Not at all! I'm... I'm so touched!"  
Kitty gasped "Are you single Rogue?! I have the perfect date for you for the wedding..."  
"Well actually..." Rogue smiled, tucking a white hair behind her ear as she looked down. Was she blushing?  
"Ah already have a date... but... it's kind of complicated."  
"Right." Kitty nodded. "I guess it would be..."  
"Why?" Sarah furrowed her brow. "You got a man, dig those claws in!"  
Rogue shook her head, about to further explain herself when Kitty cut in. "Well see... like, Rogue can't touch without stealing people's like, life or whatever."  
"Gee, thanks for the power summary Kit." Rogue rolled her eyes. Kitty started rattling off something about plans... or something. He couldn't be bothered to listen to half the things that girl said, let alone when she was all hopped up on caffeine. His eyes were lingering, perhaps a little too long, on Rogue. The way she listened so intently, hanging on to every word that fell from Kitty's lips, her laugh that seemingly came straight from her gut, completely uninhibited. The way she rested her gloved hand on her curvy hip as she spoke... he tore his eyes away reluctantly, looking at the blond hugging herself next to him.  
"Rogue?" She furrowed her brow. "You never mentioned her before."  
Remy shrugged "Never came up." He looked back at the girls as the chatted to one another as if no time had passed between them.  
Women are so weird.

---

Rogue sat on her bed rubbing her feet together after kicking her shoes off. That hadn't been as bad as it had played out in her head. Everyone was happy to see her, minimal questions were asked and even after the bombshell of seeing the one man on the face of the earth she never anticipated seeing ever again, she still managed to save face. No, better make that _two_ men. It wouldn't have been so bad she supposed, if it had been one or the other. But not both at once. Too much pressure.  
She shook her head, raking a bare hand through her hair as she lay back, letting her head hit the pillow. These weren't the scenarios she was concerned about anyways. Meeting Gambit and Joseph after six years was nothing compared to what lie ahead… even with the added fact that it had taken everything in her to not lunge across the room and gouge _his_ glowing eyes out of their sockets.  
Her head ached at the mere thought of it all.  
She needed some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N- Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I honestly didn't expect such a great reception right away, but it seems like people really like the story after only 2 chapters! Yeesh! I'd like to make a special shout out to my man Val Kilmer; your future is so bright, you have to wear shades. And by future, I mean teeth. ;)_**

**_I also forgot to mention in the first place that my version of Joseph has nothing to do with Magneto in any way shape or form. No clones here. :( - Insert obvious Michael Keaton refrence here.-  
(If you don't get that... I'm sad in my heart for you.)_**

**_Anyways... on with the show! Continue to show your love by donating to the review section after reading. :)_**

3

The knock on the door was a very unwelcome way to wake up. She sat up, squinting at the sun that streamed through the slats of her shades, frowning when she realized she'd fallen asleep in her clothes.  
"Come in." She grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
The door swung open. "Hey sleepy head. Rise and shine!"  
"Ah can't even describe how much ah missed you Kitty." Rogue said with a dry laugh, leaning over to look at the clock.  
"Guess where we're goin' today?" Kitty flopped down on the bed next to Rogue with a smirk. "We're going to get fitted for our dazzling wedding attire!"  
"Ah'm sure _you'll_ have fun with that." Rogue covered her mouth as she yawned.  
"Actually..." Jean stopped in the doorway "I was hoping you'd come with us." She gave Rogue her cheesiest grin. "See... my little sister is in the wedding party... but she won't be around until the night before the wedding, so I have Sarah acting as a body double for the fittings. She's exactly the same size... six feet tall itty bitty waist..." Jean tossed a hand in the air. "Anyways, my point is. Kitty's in the wedding party already, Sarah's coming as a body double... I need a completely non-objective opinion."  
Rogue frowned. "You're kiddin' me... right?"  
"Nope. Not at all. Besides it'd give us some time to catch up." Jean smiled, leaning her forehead against the door jamb and giving Rogue her best puppy dog face. "Please?"  
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Alright... ah'll come."  
"Good! We can help you pick something out too." Jean grinned. "Now get dressed. We're off in a half an hour." She instructed looking at her watch.  
Rogue nodded before shooing the two women from her room.  
Within twenty minuets, she'd met the girls down in the foyer. They all piled into Scott's precious convertible, speeding off to the tailors.  
Sarah twisted in her seat, looking at Rogue and Kitty in the back with a grin. "So, you need an outfit too Anna?"  
Rogue nodded. "Wouldn't hurt."  
"Awesome. We're gunna have so much fun today. Once Jeanie's baby sister's dress is fitted... it's all about us." Sarah winked. "I have great taste. Just you wait."  
Rogue chuckled.  
"So you wanna fill us in on the whole… Joseph situation?" Kitty asked with a smirk "Or y'gunna leave us hangin'?"  
"Leave y'hangin'." Rogue grinned. "'Sides, as far as ah know, there ain't nothin' t'tell."  
"Oh no y'don't…" Jean looked at her through the rear view mirror. "We want some answers missy."  
Rogue looked out on the scenery speeding by. "You'll get 'em. When the timin' is right."

---

Remy wandered downstairs, making his way into the kitchen only to find Logan nursing a cup of steaming hot coffee. Black no doubt.  
"Where is everyone?" He furrowed his brow at the stocky mutant, sitting down at the island in the center of the kitchen.  
"If by everyone you mean Marrow an' Rogue... they're out."  
He raised an eyebrow. "Together."  
Logan gave him a wicked smirk. "Yup."  
Remy ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head with a sigh. "Remy's gunna be bored t'day..."  
Logan shook his head. "Don't care." His look turned angry "But don't pull anything stupid Gumbo. If you hurt her... so help me..."  
"Which one mon ami?" Remy smiled, causing Logan's angry look to intensify. Remy held his hands up in self defense. "Remy don' plan on hurtin' no one."  
"That's the thing. You never _plan_ on it."  
"Ahh... Wolvie needs t'lighten up. I'm a grown up now... non?" He smiled, slapping the burly man on the back.  
"Touch me again and I'll rip your arm off."  
"Keep m'hands over here den..." Remy stood up, moving over to pour himself a cup of coffee.

---

"Wow." Rogue shook her head as Jean did a small spin for her.  
"Really?" Jean smoothed her hands over the satin fabric of her off white gown. "Yeah?"  
"Just... wow." Rogue shook her head, reaching out and slipping the hem of her veil through her index and middle fingers. "You look amazin' Jean."  
"Thank you." Jean looked back at the mirror with a smile, her delicate skin darkened from the blush that spread across her cheeks.  
"Well what about me?" Kitty extended her arms dramatically. "Doncha think I look great too?"  
Rogue touched the capped sleeve of Kitty's lavender bridesmaids dress with an approving nod. "You always do."  
The seamstress finished pinning the hem of the gown Sarah was wearing, popping the excess pins in her mouth. "Alright ladies, we're done. Take em off. Make sure the pins stay in!"  
Jean nodded. "I know this really nice dress shop just a few minuets from here. We can start there."  
"Sure." Rogue smiled taking a seat in one of the plush chairs provided for guests. Sarah was the first to emerge, heading over to Rogue with a grin.  
"I can't wait. I know it sounds funny... but I just love shopping."  
Rogue smiled. "Funny it ain't. Weird... maybe."  
Sarah laughed. "So what kind of dress are you looking for? Oh! I know the perfect thing... I can totally see you in a strapless... cut maybe right about here..." She motioned just above her knee. "Show a little skin."  
Rogue scrunched up her nose. "The skin thing... ain't exactly mah deal."  
"Oh... right." Sarah shrugged, sitting back in the plush chair with a sigh as they waited for the other two to finish changing.  
"So... Why the name Rogue, Anna?" Sarah crossed her arms, turning in her seat slightly to face the fair skinned woman. "If... if it's not too personal."  
Rogue shrugged. "Ah don't even know anymore. Ah started callin' mahself that so long ago."  
"Is it hard? I mean... not being able to touch?"  
Rogue let out a small laugh. "What do you think?"  
Sarah smiled. "Yeah... sorry. I guess that was a pretty dumb question."  
"It ain't so bad once y'get used to it." Rogue shrugged.  
Sarah nodded, enduring a few more moments of silence. "So what was Remy like before?"  
She looked at the blond for a moment, studying her expression silently. It was just an honest question.  
Rogue shook her head. "Ah'm not sure... you wanna be askin' _me_ that question."  
She furrowed her brow "Why not?"  
"Ah was Remy's best friend. But if you want to continue datin' him... y'probably wanna hear the good things." Rogue said with a grin.  
Sarah smiled "Oh... we're not dating. Like... _dating_ dating or anything." she shook her head. "Neither of us are too good at the whole... commitment thing."  
Rogue snorted.  
Sarah laughed and shook her head. "Besides... I have a feeling he still has feelings for his last woman. He almost got married you know. He gets all quiet when I try to talk to him about anything prior to our meeting."  
Rogue furrowed her brow. Almost got married? As far as she knew, Remy had left for the sole purpose of getting married. She was going to ask Sarah about it, but decided against it. She didn't want old skeletons falling out of any closets during any conversations she had with this girl. She made a mental note to ask the Cajun about it later, cringing at the idea of how _that_ particular conversation would unravel.  
"How did you two meet?"  
"Well, I was with the Morlocks for a while. Things started getting stale there, so I found my way to Xavier. Totally nice dude." She nodded and Rogue smirked. She'd never heard anyone refer to Xavier as a 'dude' before.  
"I was thinking of leaving when Remy showed up. Made it worth while to hang around a bit longer." She grinned.  
"So, what's your mutation?"  
Marrow gave her a demonstration, producing a slab of overgrown bone from the palm of her hand with a wince.  
"That's handy." Rogue raised an eyebrow. "No pun intended."  
"You bet." Sarah nodded with a wide smile.

---

After a long day shopping, the ladies made their way back to the mansion. And not a minute too soon as far as Rogue was concerned. While she enjoyed catching up with Kitty and Jean, and getting to know Sarah better, she couldn't wait to kick her feet up and relax.  
"Ah'm not used t'takin' an entire day devoted t'... doin' not much of anything." Rogue shook her head as she walked through the garage with her dress bag in hand. "An' ah couldn't tell you the last time ah bought somethin' so expensive for _me_."  
Kitty put an arm around Rogue's shoulder. "I missed you."  
Rogue stopped and turned to face Kitty with a frown. "Ah missed you too Kit."  
"Why Rogue? Was it... really that bad here for you that you-'  
"Kitty... no." Rogue shook her head, offering her short friend a smile. "Sugah... ah had t'move on."  
"You couldn't have kept in touch?"  
Rogue let out a breath, walking through the door to the mansion. "It's complicated."  
"Really? Cause I don't think it could be that complicated." She lowered her voice an octave, looking around to ensure her next question wouldn't be overheard. "Was it Joseph? Gambit?"  
"No." Rogue shook her head. "Ah'm stronger than that. You know that Kit."  
"Then what?"  
"It wasn't one thing in particular Kitty." Rogue lied, giving her head another shake. "Ah... ah don't wanna talk about it right now okay? Ah just... would like to enjoy bein' back here without thinkin' about mah past... transgressions."  
Kitty nodded silently, letting Rogue head upstairs to put her new purchase away.  
She opened her bedroom door, tossing the bag on her dresser before flicking her light on.  
"Holy Lord!" She gasped, her hand clutching at her heart before frowning. "What the hell Remy!"  
He smiled. "Sorry fleur... figured dis was d'only way y'd talk t'me."  
"Breakin' in?!"  
"Door wasn't locked." He kicked his feet up on her bed with a cocky smirk.  
She crossed her arms giving him that look that let him know she wasn't about to take any crap from him. He never realized how much he missed that look.  
"You undressin' me wit'yo' eyes, chère?"  
Her stare didn't waver. "Gambit. What do y'want?"  
"Dat's pretty obvious." He winked.  
"Knock it off." She frowned.  
"C'mon. What happened to d'friendly banter we used t'be known fo' chère? All y'can say is _knock it off_." He scoffed.  
Her mouth tightened in a small frown as she stared at him expectantly.  
She really _wasn't_ about to take any of his crap. Apparently she really had changed.  
"I wanted..." He sat up, letting out a sigh. "Dis is hard chère..."  
"Spit it out already. Ah ain't got all day." She put a hand on her hip.  
He smiled, his eyes wandering down to her gloved hand that rested on the easy curve of her hip. He raised an eyebrow as his smile became a cocky grin.  
"If you came up here t'mock me Remy... t'rub in the fact that you know somethin' that no one else does... ah swear t'God..."  
"No... belle-"  
"Ah didn't know you an' Joseph were gunna be here, other wise ah wouldn't have bothered with…" She held up a hand.  
"Fleur. Dat ain' why Remy's here."  
"Ah just... ah wanted to come back an' have people remember me for what ah was. Not... what they think ah might be..."  
"Chère. Relax. My lips are sealed." He locked his lips with an imaginary key. They stared at one another silently before Rogue finally nodded, accepting his promise as the truth.  
"I came up here... to apologize."  
She frowned. "Apologize."  
"Oui." He smiled at her. "I know. Yo'askin yo'self 'what ever for'... non?"  
She suppressed a smile at the sound of him imitating her accent. "Sure."  
"I shouldn't have left like dat. Not without..."  
"Sayin' goodbye?"  
He frowned. "Yeah."  
She nodded slowly, moving over to her suitcase that was propped up against her dresser. "Ah know you were..."  
"Crazy."  
She stared at him silently. She bit back the urge to voice the sarcastic remarks running around in the recesses of her mind. She didn't care anymore. She'd spent too many years caring.  
Eventually she shook her head. "Ah was going to say preoccupied. Or possibly even 'being responsible' yet that one's still up for debate. Regardless, it's all water under the bridge. Alright? Clean slate."  
"Clean slate?"  
She nodded, crouching down to rummage through her suitcase. "Ah assume you know what that is... despite your given track record."  
He smiled. "Heard 'bout it before... but I thought it was just an urban legend."  
"You comin' down for dinner?" Rogue asked as she stood up again, crossing her arms.  
He nodded.  
"An' maybe you should stop by t'see your girlfriend too." Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Ah don't want her gettin' the wrong idea here Cajun."  
"She ain' Remy's girlfriend chère. An' besides, you an' me?" He scoffed as he stood up, moving towards her. "Who'd believe dat?" He stopped behind her with a smile. She turned around to face him, and he was shocked to see her expression match his.  
"I meant what I said Rogue." He brushed a white hair away from her face, tucking it neatly behind her ear. "It's good t'see you again."  
"Wish ah could say the same Gambit." Her smile grew as she shoved him backwards. "Now scram."  
She watched him leave, pulling the door shut behind him. It had taken everything in her to not rip his face off. She let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. With that simple act... reluctantly forgiving him for running away, abandoning her without so much as a goodbye; she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. They say laughter is the best medicine, but she disagreed. Forgiveness is the best medicine.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N- So, since all you school-aged peeps have finished for the holidays I've decided to post another chapter. And this was a big decision for me to make too... because it's a major story line chapter. Meaning like... bombshell. LOL! I hope none of you hate me by the end of it..._**

**_Oh! And just so you're all aware when you see the ellipsis (which is the real name for the "...") followed by italics, this is a flashback. The end of the flashback is the reverse. (italics then ellipsis. I swear that's what it's called. Google it.)_**

4

Logan sat down next to Rogue as she picked at her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, her gloves folded neatly next to her plate. "Hey Stripes."

She looked up at him. "Hey."

"When yer done there, care t'join us down in the Danger Room?"

She laughed "Ah don't think so Wolvie, ah'm pretty outta practice..."

"Aw c'mon. It'll be like old times. We'll go easy on yah." He gave her a smile and she shook her head.

"Ah really can't… ah got a lot on mah mind today an'… ah have t'be somewhere soon… mah mind is like, completely not even here…" She trailed off looking at Logan again who was doing the best attempt at puppy dog eyes that his gruff exterior would allow.

She set the rest of her sandwich down, brushing the crumbs from her hands. "Ah'll watch. Just for a bit."

Logan led Rogue down to the Danger Room, trying to convince her to participate the entire way. The sliding doors opened with an airy 'woosh'.

"Oh good! Rogue's joining us!?" Kitty beamed. "I can get your old uniform..."

"No... don't worry 'bout it Kit. Ah'm just here to observe." She smiled. "Besides... don't think ah could get these hips into mah old uniform."

"Yo'hips look fine t'me fleur..." Remy cocked his head with a grin.

Bobby nodded.

Rogue cuffed the younger mutant upside the head. "Regardless of how they look... fact is they won't fit." She said firmly.

Remy sat down at the controls pushing a few buttons before giving them the thumbs up. "Yo'all set mes amis."

"Last chance Stripes..." Logan raised an eyebrow, slapping his gloved hands together.

She took a seat next to Gambit. "Can't Sugah… maybe next time."

Sarah pouted "Aw... I was kinda lookin' forward to seein' you in action."

"Me too..." Remy smirked.

Rogue smiled at Sarah. "The only action ah'm involved with these days is runnin' t'catch the bus. Or fightin' over a real good deal at a sale. Ah'd rip someone's eyes out over a nice enough top."

Sarah laughed.

"Alright, let's get goin'." Logan instructed.

"Bonne chance." He winked at Sarah "You don' need it."

Rogue watched as everyone filed into the Danger Room. "What are they doin'?"

"Glorified Tag." He smiled. "An' Bobby's 'it'."

"Ah." She said with a light laugh. "Ah see that y'all have expanded y' exercises to include all demographics."

Remy flicked a switch, kicking his feet up on the control panel. "Oui."

Rogue looked on with a grin, watching how well Marrow was holding her own against Wolverine. Even though they weren't 'supposed' to do any combat... he always liked to 'test' people.

"She's pretty good." Rogue raised an eyebrow, watching as the willowy blond woman dodged Logan's jabs. Considering she was a feather weight and Logan was, well... Logan. She was doing very well.

"Oui..." Remy smirked. "Dat's not all she's good at..."

"She seems really nice." Rogue commented quickly, ignoring his lewd comment. "Ah like her."

Remy grinned, looking out over the battle unfolding in the Danger Room. After a few moments of silence, Rogue sucked in a breath. "So how did y'all meet-"

"She already told you." He cut her off, giving his head a shake.

"Sorry Sugah, small talk." She hesitated, trying to lure him into telling her what she wanted to know shouldn't be so tricky. "I'm just... just havin' trouble understandin' what y'were doin' back here is all. Seein' as how you were down in New Orleans with your..." She shrugged. "Whatever she was."

"Wife." He frowned.

"Right." She looked out on the mutants as they executed their exercise, her mouth pressed in a thin line.

Forgiveness was the easy part. Forgetting... now that was going to be quite the task.

"Y'have t'understand Rogue," Gambit started, letting his feet fall from their resting place. "Not only did Remy have a duty... a responsibility t'keep..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair.

"Ah know." She nodded, not wanting him to finish his sentence. She knew the truth back then and it still hurt to think about it now. He'd been in love with Belladonna. No way around it. She'd been nothing more than a mere... distraction. At least that's the way she'd seen it. "We don't have t'talk about it." She looked at her gloved hands before tugging the index finger and slipping the glove off with ease.

Remy watched.

"Ah didn't mean to... suggest anything when ah asked how y'all met y'know." She pulled her other glove off and draped them both over her lap.

He nodded silently.

"Guess ah'm just not used t'seein' someone hangin' off you like that. You were always more of a… 'love em an leave em' type." She shrugged with a small grin. "But, ah guess you'll take it where ever you can get it…"

He chuckled. "Y'got dat right fleur. Look at dat body." He tilted his head as he admired the fighting blond "Remy's happy just s'long as she wants t'keep it casual. No strings."

"There are always strings." she said flatly.

He looked at her silently, but she refused to return his gaze, keeping her eyes glued to the action before her as if it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen.

"So, you mentioned dere was a man in yo'life... non?" He changed the subject.

"Oui." Rogue smiled.

"Serious?"

She chuckled and looked over at him "Ah moved up here for him."

He furrowed his brow. "He live up here?"

She pressed her lips together, hesitating before she finally answered. "You'll… you'll find out soon enough. Ah'd rather not talk about it Gambit."

"Ahhh… dat's where y'gotta go, hein? Why y'can't participate in d'danger room… goin' t'pick Romeo up at d'airport?"

She pressed her lips together and looked out the large window once again. She'd always hated how easy it was for him to read her. As if he had some telepathic abilities dedicated to her and her alone.

He looked at her quizzically before turning away. He decided it would be best if he dropped the subject.

Rogue ran her tongue along her lower lip, looking out on her fighting former team mates with a frown.

"Things weren't supposed to get so complicated." She said softly.

"Non." He agreed with a small frown. "But dat's d'way d'cards were dealt."

She chewed her lip silently before standing up. "Ah have t'go. Ah'll be back… just… runnin' an errand."

He nodded, watching her leave. She was right. Things weren't supposed to get so complicated.

He remembered the simpler times, back when he was a young Cajun charmer and she was the hardened Gothic girl. She'd been the only reason he'd stuck it through with the X-men.

…"_Prove 'em wrong Remy."_

She'd said, after a particularly rough day. "They're all expectin' you to up an' leave. But ah know you can do this."

He'd smirked and given her a skeptical look. "You know I can?"

"Yes, ah do." She'd folded her arms in her oh-so-stubborn manner, jutting her left hip out. "You think y'got that whole… stranger in-the-night thing down pat. Well y'don't. An' Ah'm onta you…"

"Yo'onta me?"

"There an echo in here?!" She'd jabbed her finger against his chest. "Ah'm serious Cajun. Don't give up."

"With you here ma chère…" He'd taken her gloved hand and placed a kiss on the back.

_"Remy'd never leave."…  
_

He let out a deep breath, shaking the memory from his mind. That had been the beginning of their budding friendship. But to call it merely friendship would have been doing it an injustice. It went far beyond just plain friendship; buddies who hung out together in their spare time. They'd become best friends, knowing every thing there was to know about one another and then some. Once Kitty was too caught up with boys and school to really notice, she'd turned to him for friendship, and it came all to naturally for both of them. When Joseph left, she'd gone to him for comfort, knowing she could bare her soul, which she had so many times before. It had been Joseph that taught her how to control her powers. Their own 'little secret' that no one else knew.

No one else but him of course.

---

Rogue glanced at her watch with a frown. She'd wanted to get to the airport early… just in case. Rather be early and have to hang around and wait then be late and make him wait.

She hurried up to her room, snatching her purse off her dresser quickly, doubling back and nearly knocking into Joseph.

"Woah!" He chuckled. "Always was good at sweeping you off your feet."

She smiled, feeling a light flush spread across her cheeks. "Yeah…"

"Where are you headed?" He asked as she shuffled past him.

"Airport." She tucked a white hair behind her ear.

"Oh." He nodded. "You want some company?"

She hesitated considering his offer.

"I can get you there in ten minutes…" He added with a raised eyebrow, hoping the extra bit of information would serve as temptation enough.

She smiled. "Or what?"

"Or your next meal… free." He gave her a wink that caused her heart to flutter. She sucked in a short breath and glanced at her watch again.

"Thanks… but ah think this is somethin' ah need t'do alone." She spun around after a small grin, heading down the hall.

"Rain check on that dinner…?"

She looked over her shoulder with a smile. "… sure."

---

The Danger Room session was over and everyone scattered, going about their own business. Once Kitty had finished her shower, she made her way to one of the rec. rooms, scanning it with a frown.

"What's wrong p'tite?" Remy frowned, noticing Kitty in the doorway. Sarah craned her neck to spot her.

"Lookin' for Rogue."

"Don't tell me she ran avay again!" Kurt threw his hands in the air.

"She went to the airport." Remy looked back at the TV with a smile. "Pickin' up some important… baggage…"

Kitty scrunched up her nose. "Baggage? Didn't she like… drive here with all her stuff-" She gasped. "Is she picking someone up?! Did she tell you?!"

He shook his head.

"She always tells you stuff." Kitty pouted "I'm always like, the last to find out." With a quick gasp Kitty's face brightened up again "It's that man she mentioned. Isn't it?" She tugged on Kurt's arm with a giggle.

Before Kurt could respond they heard the front door open causing Kitty to squeal like a little girl yet again. Kurt exchanged a look with Colossus before turning around and following the happy girl into the foyer.

Rogue pressed her lips together in a small smile, chuckling when Kurt took Kitty's wrist in an attempt to hold her back and calm her down.

She looked down at her feet when Gambit and Sarah entered along with Peter.

Gambit furrowed his brow; She wasn't blushing… she looked… nervous. Almost... scared.

"Alright." She said with her eyes fixed on her shoes. "There's somethin'… someone that y'all need t'meet."

"Hey!" Joseph stood at the top of the staircase with a smile "You're back already?"

She opened her mouth to answer when Kitty let out an exasperated sigh. "C'mon… hurry up! I can't wait! Where's this guy?!"

The smile visibly fell off his face, and Rogue shook her head. "Hold your horses Kit."

She opened the door behind her, holding her hand out and silently telling the person on the other side of the door to come.

A rambunctious little boy rushed through the doorway, taking Rogue's hand with a toothy grin. He dropped his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack on the hardwood floor as Rogue scooped him up, propping him on her hip.

Remy knit his brow, looking from the little boy to Rogue. The similarity between them was uncanny… there was no way…

"Coley, ah want you t'meet mah friends. Everyone this is Cole." She nuzzled her nose against his freckled cheek causing him to smile. "Mah son."

* * *

**_A/N- Whaaaaa?! Kabloom. (that was the bombshell. Haha... I'm a dork.) Anyways, rather than getting answers, we get more questions. I am evil like this.  
I will try to update before Christmas eve because I will be busy by then celebrating my little man's second birthday! Oh, and Christmas of course. _**

**_So did you love it? Hate it? Let me know... angry reviews are welcome... discouraged, but still welcome. LOL_**

**_Ps: Starlight2twilight (no association with the books) asked _**"But WHY IS THIS SO SHORT BB?! WHY?"**_ and in response I say the following._**

**_That's what she said._**

**_:D_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N - Thanks for the reviews! I realize now that posting during the week that pretty much no one is home probably isn't good for the "view count" but I promised another chapter before Christmas and darnit... I'm a woman of my word. :)_**

**_Although... it's a short one... Enjoy! R&R!_**

5

It took a lot to shock the Cajun charmer, but the last two words out of Anna's lips was enough to leave him speechless.

Kitty's sudden bought of laughter snapped the sense back into him. "Are… you're kidding. Rogue." The smile slid off her face when Rogue didn't laugh. "Rogue."

Rogue shook her head. "He was stayin' at our neighbor's house down south… Ah didn't wanna pull him outta school right before his year was done. She flew up here with him."

"I jus' finished kindergarten!"

Remy smiled in spite of himself. The little boy certainly did look like Rogue. He noticed Logan come to a stop next to him, his arms crossed tightly against his chest.

"How!?" Kitty shook her head. "Is that why you left? Did you learn how to control your powers?!"

"Wow." Sarah raised an eyebrow with an approving smile, ignoring Kitty's stream of questions. The situation wasn't as shocking to her. "Kindergarten? You look too BIG to be just finishing kindergarten."

Cole puffed out his chest slightly and nodded. "I was one a'the biggest kids in my class!"

Rogue stood upright, brushing the auburn hair off his forehead. "Why don't you go get your suitcase from outside an' Momma will take you up to your room."

"Kay." Cole nodded.

"Wait." Joseph took a step forward. "You want a hand kiddo?"

Cole grinned and nodded enthusiastically. Joseph headed towards the door, exchanging a look with Rogue as he passed by her.

"My name's Joseph. You can call me Joe."

Cole took the silver haired, handsome mutant by the hand and excitedly hurried towards the door, rambling on about his trip here.

"Why… why didn't you say something?" Kitty took a step forward. "Don't you think you should prepare us for something like this?"

Rogue shook her head. "Ah wanted to enjoy bein' back here before ah dropped the bomb."

Logan grunted, causing Rogue's head to snap back up and look him dead in the eye.

He wasn't impressed and she could tell.

Her gaze fell back to her feet as Cole walked back through the doorway with Joseph tagging along behind him, dragging a colorful suitcase on wheels.

"Momma!" Cole said excitedly, waving a piece of paper around in his hand. "I made a picture in school!"

"For me?"

"No." He giggled. "For them."

Logan walked towards them, keeping his eyes on the young boy who held up the piece of paper with a proud smile. He looked exactly like Rogue.

Rogue raised an eyebrow at Logan as he came to a stop in front of them.

He grunted with a frown. "Cole, was it?"

"Yes sir." The little boy lifted his chin slightly. The action caused Logan to smile slightly in spite of his gruff act. He certainly acted like Rogue.

"Y'got more manners then anyone livin' here kid." He looked at Rogue again as Cole reached up, holding her hand protectively.

"That's cause momma says ah have to." he gave his mom a toothy grin. "Right?"

"Yuppers." Rogue nodded. She pressed her lips together tightly, exchanging a stare with Logan. She looked back down. Remy shook his head, reading the shameful expression that spread across her brow. That was the real  
reason she didn't want anyone to know about her Son. She was ashamed of what it meant.

"I drew this for you." Cole held out the picture. "It's my Momma. Cuz you guys don't really know her anymore. Right? That's her with me."

Rogue rolled her eyes with a laugh "Cole, y'five goin' on fifty y'know that Sugah?"

"Why don't I bring this up to your room… and then we can take a little tour? How does that sound?" Joseph asked, looking from Cole to Rogue.

Cole jumped in place, clapping his hands excitedly "Momma? Can we?!"

"Sure." Rogue nodded, taking her sons hand and leading him upstairs.

"Bye Mr. Logan." Cole waved at the gruff man as he passed, holding tightly to his Mom's hand affectionately.

Logan watched as the three of them headed upstairs, silently observing his subtle mannerisms and taking in the new young scent. It was familiar. Oddly familiar…

---

Rogue unpacked the colorful suitcase with an easy grin. "Now ah want you t'make sure y'keep this all nice an' tidy. Ah don't wanna come back in here… findin' out y'room looks like a tornado ripped through here."

Cole grinned. "Okay."

"Promise me?"

"I promise." Cole rolled his green eyes dramatically. "How long are we stayin' here for?"

She looked at him from over her shoulder. "Why? You don't like it here?"

His eyes went wide and he shook his head. "No! I do!"

Rogue grinned, turning back to continue unpacking his things. "Ah'm glad."

Logan stopped in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed.

Rogue looked at him silently. He was watching Cole who was tracing circles on the wall with his finger.

She let out a breath. It wouldn't be much longer. He was inches away from figuring it out. "Hey."

He looked at her with his jaw squared. "Yeah."

The look in his eye as he stared at her, his blue eyes nearly burning sent a shiver up her spine. He'd been the only one that could make her feel so uneasy with a single look.

She pressed her lips together. "Cole… why doncha go find Joe. See if he'll give you that tour..."

Cole jumped to his feet excitedly giving Logan a grin. "Hi Mr. Logan."

His face relaxed and he smiled "Hi kid."

Cole scurried past the man in the doorway, racing down the hall.

"Don't run inside!" Rogue hollered after him before turning her attention back to Logan.

After a long moment of silence, she sucked in a breath. "Ah screwed up."

"I guess so."

He clenched his jaw, biting back the urge to say something he'd most likely regret later.

"Ah really don't wanna hear it… 'specially not from you Logan. Alright?"

"Rogue-"

"You don't think ah spent every single day ah was carryin' Cole… just thinkin' how disappointed y'all would be…? How you would never look at me the same way again." She shook her head. "But as soon as ah saw  
him… 'soon as ah looked into his big green eyes..." She trailed off with a smile which quickly grew stale. "Ah don't care what y'all have t'say 'bout me. Ah really don't. He's… mah world."

"So then why wait so long to come back?"

"Because ah didn't need to." She frowned "Look… ah'd love to sit here an' listen to your lectures on life, but ah got better things t'do." Her brow puckered before she moved past him. He watched her leave, just like he'd  
watched her leave that night so long ago.

With no explanation.

His mind began to wander, bringing him back to that night. He should have known something was up, but he'd been so tired… he'd chalked it up to her being a woman and left it at that. That is, until the next morning.

…_She'd caught him just before_ bed as he was lounging around his room in his flannel pajama bottoms; her black, long sleeved PJ's pulled down over her hands as she stood in his doorway. He'd frowned at her."It's a little late kid."

"Yeah…"

He'd looked up at her freshly scrubbed face, the way she leaned on his door jamb so nonchalantly, crossing her arms over her chest. The image had imprinted itself into his brain as she gave him a half smile. The 19 year old  
Goth, all ready for bed with no makeup on and a pretty little smile. She was such a beautiful girl when she wasn't trying to be so angry. It had been just over a month since Gambit took off and three since Joseph  
disappeared, and everyone noticed… she hadn't been the same since.

"Just wanted to say goodnight." She pressed her lips together.

He'd raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Alright…"

And that's when she did it. She stepped towards him, letting go of her long sleeves revealing her bare hands, before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his bare shoulder.

To say he'd been shocked would have been a pathetic understatement.

"Darlin'…" He'd managed to say, gently holding her in return as if she were a delicate china doll. As if he were too rough, her powers would kick in. "How…?"

She pulled back slightly, looking him in the eye. "Don't know. Not sure that matters much right now."

He'd furrowed his brow, about to ask her something more when she closed the space between them, giving him a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight." She whispered before slipping her arms from their comfortable place around his neck and stalking back towards the door. _"See ya later."…_

Logan let out a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck. The next morning, she'd been gone. Everyone had thought it was because she was so upset over first Joseph leaving, that once her best friend Gambit left, she couldn't take it anymore. But he'd always known she was stronger than that. She left because she no longer needed to be there. And that had been what _he'd_ thought. That is, up until today.

He finally realized what the mysterious familiar scent was; the one that was a mixture of Rogue and crayons and some mystery ingredient that he'd picked up off of Cole.

It would be best if he kept his mouth shut.

For now.

* * *

**_Merry Christmas!_**


	6. Chapter 6

6

Kitty gave Rogue a smile as she walked into the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind… I gave him a grilled cheese sandwich." She pointed to Cole who sat at the kitchen table, taking a bite of the sandwich with a grin.

"Mmmphankou!" he said with his mouth full.

Rogue gave him a pointed look and he clamped his mouth shut. "No, that's no problem Kit. Thanks."

Kitty's smile widened. "No problem. Glad to help!"

It had been a week since Cole came into their lives, and everyone had been nothing but helpful. If you were to ask Rogue, she'd admit she was quite astonished. Bobby offering to baby sit, Logan playing games, Kitty making dinner… the thought of her friends accepting her despite her screw ups made her want to cry with joy.

She shouldn't have waited so long to come back.

Rogue moved over to the fridge, pulling out a green apple before moving over to the sink to wash it off.

"So… you an' Joseph." Kitty folded her hands on the table. "How's that goin'?"

Rogue shrugged. "It's goin'. Things don't just pick up where they left off."

"Yeah… but they could. He still loves you y'know."

"You don't know that." Rogue shook her head, pulling a knife out of the drawer and setting the apple down on the cutting board. "Don't say things like that Kit."

"It's true." Kitty lowered her voice slightly so the young boy couldn't hear. "It's true. The way he looks at you…" She sighed. "You two just… make sense."

"Need ah remind you that he ended it with me?"

"Why did he do that anyways?" Kitty leaned on the counter next to Rogue, watching the little boy munch on his grilled cheese. "Other then the excuse 'to find himself'' or… or whatever."

She silently sliced the apple, giving her head a shake. "I dunno Kit," she said eventually, keeping her focus trained on the apple "Cold feet maybe."

Kitty pressed her lips together, watching Cole eat. "What about Cole's Father?"

"What about him?" Rogue's head snapped up, looking at Kitty with a frown.

"Well… anything!" Kitty whispered. "Who is he, where is he, does he know… does he love you… do you love him… anything!"

Rogue squared her jaw. "Not tellin', doesn't matter, doesn't know." She looked at her friend as she scooped up some of the slices of apple off the counter with a small smile. "Good?"

"That was only three answers. I asked five." Kitty put a hand on her hip. "Did you…" She forced herself to lower her voice again. "Did you… love him?"

Rogue frowned in an effort to discourage Kitty from keeping the conversation going, walking over to Cole and plopping the sliced apple down on his plate before heading back to the cupboard and grabbing the peanut butter. "Eat 'em up Cole boy… you wanna grow up t'be big an' strong." She spooned out a glob of peanut butter and slopped it on the plate, giving him a wink.

"Like Mr. Logan?"

"Just like 'im." Rogue said with a chuckle before looking back up to Kitty and giving her head a shake. "That man's done quite a number on mah boy."

Kitty smiled, watching as Cole shoved the apple slices in his mouth. "C'n I go now Momma?"

Rogue nodded. "No runnin'. An' stay outta trouble. Why doncha go find Uncle Kurt?"

"The blue fuzzy guy?" Cole's eyes widened.

"Yup. He should be in the rec. room. If y'get lost, ask someone. Don't have t'worry about strangers around here." She gave him a wink.

His green eyes glimmered with excitement. "Kay!" He scurried from his seat and out of the kitchen as Rogue gathered his dishes and brought them over to the sink.

"You're such a good mom Rogue. I wish I could have seen it from the start." Kitty leaned on the counter, crossing her arms. "And I don't say that to make you feel guilty."

Rogue's smile wavered slightly "Ah know. Wish ah could've been here too."

Kitty bit her lip, hesitating before she sucked in a breath "Rogue… why did you leave? If you'd have just stayed… not that Cole's not a good thing… but think of all the heart ache you could have saved yourself and-"

"Kitty." Rogue put the plate down letting out a deep breath. "Don't."

"Even if you'd called… and said you were okay. It wouldn't be like you… like…" Kitty let out a small breath. At risk of sounding mean, she had to say it "Like… you ran off and got pregnant."

Cole's hysterical giggles echoed through the hall before rounding the corner of the kitchen, distracting the girls from their conversation. Rogue had turned her back to the door once again, going back to the dishes.

"Ma chère… y'lose somethin'?" He was holding Cole under his right arm like he was a football. The little boy laughed uncontrollably.

Remy put the boys feet back on the ground with a chuckle.

Rogue shook her head. "No, he was lookin' for Kurt."

"Oui… but he ran into me. D'boy can sure hold a conversation, non?"

Rogue nodded.

"Y'know what Momma?!" Cole tugged Rogue's pant leg impatiently. "I was tellin' Mr. Gambit that I like the Mutant Ninja Turtles, an' he says _he_ does too!"

Rogue gave Cole a small smile. "That's pretty special Cole."

"An' I bet Mr. Gambit likes apples an' peanut butter too."

Rogue laughed and ran a hand through Cole's auburn hair. "Ah have a feelin' you an' Remy will get along just fine when it comes t'food. The spicier the better, right Cole?"

He pressed his lips together and nodded with an enthusiastic grin.

"Sounds like y'my kinda man, p'tiete." Gambit winked. "Now y'wan' Remy t'take y'to see Kurt?"

"Kay!" Cole scurried towards the doorway. "But you can take your time… cause Momma says not to run inside."

"Yo'Momma ain' d'boss o'Remy…" He gave Rogue a wink. "Unless she wants t'be…"

"Get goin' boys… unless y'all wanna listen to our girl talk…"

Both boys scrunched up their noses, exchanging a similar, comical look before shaking their heads. Remy scooped the small boy up, flipping him onto his shoulders.

"Dat's our cue to exit p'tite mec." He grinned. "Au revior!"

---

Logan made his way down to the rec. room, stopping in the doorway.

"Hi Mr. Logan." Cole gave the gruff man a wave. "Wanna play?" He held up a handful of cards.

"No thanks kid." Logan grinned before turning his attention to Gambit. "Y'really think it's a good idea to be teachin' him to gamble?"

"'S go fish mon ami. No gamble involved." Remy grinned, slapping down a pair of sevens. "Take dat p'tite mec."

"Got any nines?" Cole asked with a grin.

Remy rolled his eyes, handing over the nine of hearts. "You cheatin'?!"

Logan grumbled under his breath as Sarah came up to a stop next to him. "Isn't he cute?"

"Don't look at Gumbo that way kid." Logan smirked.

She swatted his arm. "I was talking about the kid. He's quite the little charmer too. Held the door open for me an' everything."

Logan pressed his lips together. "Yeah. Quite the kid. He's got quite the mom."

"I wonder who his Father is." Sarah crossed her arms, watching Joseph walk into the rec. room, mussing up the little boy's hair.

Cole showed him his cards with a giggle and informed him that he was winning.

"He's good." Remy agreed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound... cruel." Sarah glanced at Logan, noticing his slight change in demeanor at her comment. "Poor Rogue. Run away and get pregnant? That must have been so hard on her…"

"Yeah." Logan grunted. Sarah was about to say something else, but he didn't stick around to hear it. Talking to that girl for too long gave him a headache.

---

Later that evening Rogue sat alone in the library, enjoying the silence; enjoying the fact that there was someone for Cole to play with at all times. She closed her eyes and tilted her chair back slightly, sucking in a deep breath through her nose.

"So this is what the library's here for."

His voice almost caused her to lose her balance, but she caught herself in time, sitting up to look at him with an embarrassed grin.

"Hey Joe."

"So… I was thinking."

"Don't hurt y'self Sugah."

He smiled. "About that dinner you owe me."

"…oh. Ah… forgot."

He chuckled. "Well. If you're not doing anything now… and clearly you're not."

She smiled and he took her hand, causing a blush to break out over her pale cheeks.

"I was thinking, maybe we could go somewhere."

She gently tugged her hand back. "Joe…"

"Anna. I know it's been a while. And obviously… you moved on after me." He gave her a brilliant smile and winked. "But this wouldn't be a date."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow with an amused grin.

"No. It'd be two old friends, grabbing a bite to eat. And if you want to kiss me at the end of the night… that's fine."

She laughed before shaking her head "Ah don't know."

"Six years is a long time Anna." Joseph lowered his voice slightly. "I've missed you."

She smiled slightly. "Me too. But Cole… ah have to find someone to watch him."

"I'm sure it won't be too difficult." He sat upright with a grin. "You've got a very lovable little boy there."

Rogue chuckled. "You're tellin' me." She stood up and headed over to the door. "Ah'll… ah'll see what ah can do. Alright?"

---

"Oh Rogue." Jean put a hand to her chest with a smile "I'd _love_ to watch Cole… but I can't tonight. Too many last minute things before the big day..."

Rogue pressed her lips together with a smile "It's alright. Don't sweat it. It was a long shot anyways…"

Of course Jean wouldn't be able to. She was getting married in two days. Rogue mentally kicked herself for even asking the telepathic red head.

"Did you ask Kitty already?"

"Yeah… she's got a date with Pete." Rogue shrugged. "It's alright. Joseph's waited for six years, ah think he can wait a few more days."

Jeans eyes glimmered at the mention of Josephs name "Joseph?"

Rogue nodded. "An ah mean... _he_ was the one that dumped _me_. So it wouldn't hurt him t'suffer a bit." she added with a wry grin.

"What about Bobby?"

"You kiddin'?" Rogue snorted. "It's Thursday night. The boy's on the prowl."

Jean furrowed her brow, noticing the disappointed look on Rogue's face.

"Don't do that red." Rogue gave her a pointed look. "Get outta mah head…"

Jean smiled "Not in your head. I swear." She held up her hands. "I was just thinking… what about Remy?"

Rogue looked over her shoulder at the Cajun, sitting on the couch with Sarah under his one arm, the remote in his free hand.

"Remy? No… he wouldn't want to… ah wouldn't want him t'feel like-"

"You wouldn't be making him." Jean shook her head. "You two were good friends once. Remember? And if he doesn't want to, he'll say no."

Rogue let out a breath. "Ah… guess." She set her jaw, making her way over to the two on the couch before letting out a deep breath.

Remy looked at her from over his shoulder, his arm falling off Sarah's shoulders. "Chère?"

"Hey Swamp Rat." She puckered her brow and crossed her arms tightly. "Look… ah'm gunna ask you somethin'… but you don't have to... don't feel like y'have to."

He smirked "Spit it out fleur."

"Ah… was wonderin' if you'd be willin' t'watch Cole tonight. Just a few hours… nothin'-"

"Sure."

"You don't have to if y'don't-"

"Chère. Remy said oui."

"He ain't a handful or anything…"

Remy laughed. "Ah'm sure I can manage. How much worse den you could he be?"

She put a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. "Right. Well… if you can do this for me… ah'd really appreciate it."

"Y'got a hot date fleur?" Remy looked past her at Joseph who waited in the doorway.

She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her mischievously. "Don' stay out too late…" he winked.

"Right. Anyways. Thanks." She patted his arm, giving Sarah a smile. "You three'll have fun."

After ten minuets she was changed and ready to go.

She made her way downstairs, running her hands along the pencil skirt she wore, smoothing out any imperfections before giving the fitted purple top a light tug. She was ready to go.

She rounded the corner to the rec. room, her heart jumping into her throat at the sight before her.

Remy had his arm stretched out along the back of the couch. Cole sat next to him with an excited grin on his face, listening to Joseph, who sat on his other side, telling him a story. Cole's high pitched giggle pealed through the air; apparently it was a funny story.

She leaned on the door jamb with her arms crossed as a smile danced across her lips. Now that was an ironic sight. Joe and Remy were not the best of friends… to put it lightly. And now here they were… having a civilized conversation with her son. A lump suddenly formed in her throat again, her heart rate increasing as she realized the magnitude of this moment.

Cole was sitting with his father.

She had to push the thought from her mind forcefully as soon as it entered if she wanted to avoid hyperventilating.

"Momma!" Cole jumped up on the couch, turning around to face Rogue in the doorway.

"Alright Cole. Ah want you to promise me you'll be a good boy."

"Promise Momma." He nodded, watching as she walked closer, stopping behind the couch with her arms crossed.

"An' you listen to Remy. Alright? Just 'cause I'm around don't mean ah won't find out." She gave him a pointed look.

"I know Ma." He giggled.

Joseph stood up. "You look great."

Rogue shrugged. "Thanks." She bent over and gave Cole a kiss on the forehead.

"Remy get one?" He gave her a smile, tilting his cheek towards her.

"Ah'll give y'one alright…" She gave him a swat on the arm. "With mah fist."

"You kids have fun." He called after them with a wave. Joseph's arm circled around her waist as he waved over his shoulder.

"Yeah! Fun!" Cole waved quickly before, flopping down on Remy's lap with a laugh.

---

The waitress led Rogue and Joseph to their booth with a pleasant little bounce in her step. She left their menus after introducing herself as Lara, spinning around on her heel and skipping off to her next customer. Rogue couldn't help but think she was far too happy to be at work.

"I'm very glad you agreed to come out with me Anna." Joseph grinned easily after the almost-too-happy waitress left.

Rogue smiled "It ain't like y'had t'twist mah arm or anything Joe." she folded her bare hands on the table as she spoke. "Besides, ah thought it'd be fun t'catch up."

"First things first, Anna." Joseph puckered his silver eyebrows, his eyes focused on the center of the table suddenly. "I owe you an apology."

Rogue stiffened "An apology?"

He nodded somberly, his chocolate brown eyes lifting to meet her stare. "Yes. I never should have left. Not like that."

"Joseph," Rogue started, shaking her head slowly. "You don't have to-"

"No, I do." His face twisted up slightly and he looked away, obviously embarrassed by the way things had ended. He let out a short breath and looked at her again. "It was stupid."

"We all do stupid things Joseph." She said softly.

"You know I loved you, right?" He frowned.

Rogue nodded gently with a smile "Ah know y'did. An' ah don't blame you for one second for leavin'. Ah never did." she offered him a small shrug "It was bad timin'. That's all."

He pursed his lips in a thin smile "How's the timing now?"

"Hmmm..." She tapped her closed mouth with a grin "Ah'd say we got plenty a'time t'find out. What d'you say?"

He leaned back in his seat with a nod, his smile growing, showing off his perfect white teeth. "Absolutely."

Rogue chuckled to herself just as Lara returned to take their orders. Joseph kept his eyes on her while she ordered, and his eyes remained there for practically the entire meal. They talked for hours, catching one another up on the past six years of their lives. Joseph informed Rogue that when he left he landed a job working with the government regarding mutant relations out in Washington. He'd stayed there for a few years, never really satisfied with his position, before returning to the X-men, stating that he felt like he was more help working abroad.

Rogue filled him in on her five years with Cole, leaving out almost everything that happened before he'd arrived. She told him she'd moved down to a small town in Mississippi with thirty seven dollars to her name and hoped for the best, and then skipped ahead to her life with her vivacious little son; Her job at the small towns only book store; Her cozy little two bedroom apartment she'd lived in since Cole was born. She was grateful that he didn't ask to know anything prior to that. She wasn't ready to fill him in quite that much yet.

When their meal was all finished, Joseph allowed Rogue to lead the way out of the restaurant, taking her hand to stop her as she headed for the parking lot.

She knit her brow "What is it?"

"It's such a nice night, and it's not far to the mansion," He smiled "I thought we could walk."

Rogue smirked "What about your car?"

He tugged her along with him gently and shook his head "I can pick it up later."

She complied, letting him lead her to the sidewalk. He had been right, it was a beautiful night. The humidity from the day had pretty much disappeared once the sun had set, leaving the air pleasantly warm. It was a far cry from the sweltering heat she was used to on Mississippi summer nights.

"Ah'm really glad you asked me out t'night Joe." She squeezed his hand gently with a small smile. "It was fun catchin' up."

"Even though it's not a date right?" He grinned playfully through his furrowed brow causing Rogue to laugh.

"Exactly."

They walked in comfortable silence for a minute before Joseph let out a breath. "Can I ask you something?"

She winced._ Here it comes..._"Sure Sugah." She said, hiding the reluctance in her tone as best she could.

"How long after I left did Gambit leave?"

Rogue furrowed her brow and looked at him. She would have thought someone would have told him since he'd been back. But maybe that sort of information hadn't been important to him since she'd been gone anyways. And now that she was back... She let out a breath. "Few months."

He pursed his lips, keeping his eyes trained in front of him as he nodded.

"Why?"

"I just keep thinking..." He glanced at her quickly. "If I'd have stayed just a little while longer..." He trailed off, letting her finish his thought in her mind.

"Oh."

"I shouldn't have brought it up." He frowned. "But I do feel pretty bad that you were alone."

"Ah wasn't alone Joe. Ah lived in a mansion full of concerned by-standers." She uttered a wry laugh and shook her head. "Y'shouldn't be concerned with it anyways. It's in the past. Unimportant." Her eyes fell to her feet. "Besides, _you_ didn't leave me alone..." she muttered, instantly regretting the words as soon as they fell out of her mouth.

"I know I'm probably not the best person in the world to speak on the subject," Joseph started. "but I'm sure that if Remy left, he had good reason to. He sure as hell had a hard time leaving you alone when I was around."

At that, Rogue laughed. "Ah guess."

His hand tightened around her fingers and she looked over at him, enjoying the easy smile that filled his face. It was as if no time at all had passed between them. He lifted her hand to his mouth, brushing her knuckles along his lips gently, his smile growing. "Your hands are cold."

"Guess they never adjusted t'bein bare all the time."

"Clearly a down side to gaining control." He teased.

They strolled through the mansion gates, up the stone steps, coming to a stop at the door.

"I'm going to head back to pick up my car." Joseph smiled as she turned to face him, her hand still in his.

"Oh! Alright." She nodded, a grin spreading across her lips. "Ah really did have a good time."

"I'm glad you did."

Her eyes sparkled as her grin widened "Even though it wasn't a date."

Joseph chuckled. "Not at all."

She took a step towards him, looking up into his deep brown eyes as she inhaled. "So, it would be pretty inappropriate t'kiss you then. Right?"

He lifted his free hand to her face, tracing her jawline with his fingertips starting at her chin and gliding them back towards her ear. "I'm sure we can make an exception."

Rogue moved closer, meeting Josephs lips in a soft, gentle kiss. His hand slipped to the nape of her neck, tangling in her auburn hair.

Rogue pulled back slightly, just enough to look him in the eye again. She smiled "That was some 'welcome home' gift, Joseph."

He grinned and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight Anna."

She watched him turn around and head down the steps "You got mah number right?"

He threw her a smile over his shoulder and chuckled. "I know where to find you."

* * *

**_A/N: Petite mec is french for "little monkey". Just an fyi._**

**_This was a long one!! Yeesh! You guys better be grateful. :) And for all you Romy pushers out there, be kind. LOL! C'mon, Joe's a nice guy... right Val? (I am of course speaking to Val Kilmer. Apparently he reviews on a regular basis. I had no idea he'd be interested in X-men fan fiction. Go figgah.) _**

**_Feel free to leave a nice review for me! It'll make this hormonal crazy pregnant lady really happy. And also pop in to my profile to answer the poll "Who do you think is Rogue's baby daddy?" _**

**_And for those of you wondering, Peter Petrelli is my baby daddy. (No, not Michael Keaton.)_**

_**~*~*~*~*~*~*~HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**_ (That's glitter confetti.)


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N - Thank you for all your reviews everyone! They make me happy in my heart. :) Don't forget to submit your answer to the poll found in my profile!_**

7

Jean sucked in a slow breath through her nose as she inspected herself in the mirror, fluffing her veil one last time.

"Are you ready sweet heart? They're waiting…"

She turned and looked at Scott with a big smile. "Am I ever!"

Scott held out his hand "I don't know if that's a trick question or an exclamation…"

Jean giggled and placed her gloved hand in his with a big smile.

"Shall we… Mrs. Summers?"

---

"Cole, sit down baby. Y'got ants in your pants?"

"Yup!" He laughed, hopping in his seat. "I wanna eat!"

"Soon enough Sport." Joseph smiled at the rambunctious little boy from his seat across the table.

Bobby tapped the microphone next to the head table and cleared his throat. "Excuse me… may I have everyone's attention?"

"Is Bobby sayin' we can eat now?!" Cole flopped down in the chair with an exaggerated sigh.

"I am pleased to announce the arrival of the bride and groom… Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. and Mrs. Scott Summers."

The crowd clapped. Rogue craned her neck to watch the two walk into the reception.

"She looks… so beautiful…" Rogue shook her head as she stared. Of course, Jean had _always_ been beautiful. Perfect really. Which was one of the main reasons she'd disliked her so fiercely when they were  
younger.

Remy wagged his eyebrows "Too bad she's married…"

After Scott and Jean took their seats, they announced the start of the meal. Cole was beyond ecstatic.

"I want chicken! An'… an' mash'atatoes."

"Okay." Rogue chuckled. "Ah'll get you some. You stay here."

After a few minutes, Rogue returned with two plates, setting the lesser of the two down in front of Cole.

"There y'go Sugah. Plenty a'mashed potatoes." She sat down next to him and started cutting his chicken as he licked his lips excitedly.

"You look hungry!" Sarah smiled, setting her wine glass down and Cole nodded his head.

"He's got a bottomless pit for a stomach." Rogue said with a laugh. "But it ain't spicy, so ah wanna see all of it gone."

Joseph smiled as he cut his fish. "He doesn't like spicy food?"

"No. The opposite. He won't eat unless it's dipped in cayenne. Ah suppose it's a curse from raisin' him in the south." She shook her head, setting the knife down and handing Cole the fork.

"Ain't a curse. S'good taste." Remy said with a nod.

Sarah shrugged. "Just… put some pepper on it or something."

Remy dropped his fork on his plate and gawked at her with a look of disgust.

"What?!" she shrugged. "Pepper's spicy."

Kurt shook his head and laughed.

The sound of ting-ing glasses interrupted their conversation as everyone turned their attention to the happy couple, watching them exchange a kiss.

The meal was interrupted another four times before the speeches started. Cole sighed impatiently as Jean stood at the mic. gushing about her new husband.

"Momma…" He whispered. "I'm bored."

"Me too p'tite." Remy leaned over to whisper to him with a smile.

"Don't encourage him." Rogue rolled her eyes before leaning over to her son with a smile. "Ah'm pretty bored too…"

Cole giggled and Rogue shook her head. "An' if ah have t'see them kiss one more time…" she made a gagging sound which caused Cole to giggle louder.

Rogue raised an eyebrow, realizing that Bobby had announced the start of the dance. "Don't worry baby. It's done now."

Kitty skipped over to their table. "Who wants to dance with me?"

"Pete's over there hun." Sarah pointed with a smile.

"He won't. Says he's too clumsy." Kitty frowned before stretching out her hand. "Come on… some one come dance! It's the Spice Girls…" She whined.

Sarah stood up exchanging a smile with Gambit. "Alright. Let's go."

Kitty giggled and skipped out to the dance floor along with Sarah.

Joseph smiled. "You made it Cole!"

Rogue laughed, running her hand through his auburn hair.

"Y'think they'll play the train song?" He looked up at his mom with excited eyes.

"Don't know baby." She smiled at him. "But ah promise, if they do… me an' you are gunna be tearin' up the dance floor like a couple a'pros."

He smiled and looked out on the dance floor, sipping his Sprite eagerly.

"Train song?" Joseph leaned over and whispered in her ear. "What's that?"

"Locomotion." She grinned. "He's… in love with trains. Anything t'do with trains."

He chuckled, watching the excited young boy as he struck up a conversation with Storm.

"So do I get a song?" He whispered, keeping his eyes on Cole.

"'Scuse me?" She raised an eyebrow.

"He gets the train song… do I get one…" Joseph leaned in with a grin. "Anna?

She caught herself before she giggled, a smile spreading across her lips as she ran her finger along the rim of her glass. "Ah think that can be arranged."

"Anna." She could feel him leaning in behind her and could tell who it was before he even uttered a word, but the sound of him calling her by her real name always sent a shiver down her spine. The same way  
she imagined Cole felt when she called him by his full name. She looked over her shoulder at the gruff man in a suit standing behind her, letting out a low whistle.

"You lookin' mighty snazzy Wolvie."

Rather than frowning and grumbling something under his breath like he normally would, he gave her a smile.

"Care t'dance darlin'?"

Her eyebrows perked up suddenly and she looked back at the others at the table. "Did ah hear this right? Did… Logan just ask me t'dance?!"

"Don't rub it in kid. C'mon."

She put her bare hand in his and he shook his head. "Not sure I'll ever get used to that."

"You an' me both."

He led her to the dance floor, wrapping his arm around her small waist. "You look…" He shook his head. "You look really pretty."

She snorted. "Yeah… right. Thanks."

"Doesn't look like I'm the only one who thinks it." He looked past her, back at her table with a smirk.

"Yeah… don't… don't go all protective on me alright?"

"I think it's a little late for bein' protective. Besides..." He smiled. "Thought you liked it when I did that."

She laughed. "What has gotten inta you Wolvie?!"

His expression grew serious and she instantly regretted the question.

"You haven't told him yet… have you?"

"Tell… who what? Ah don't know what you're talkin' about." She shook her head and looked away, suddenly realizing the reason he'd asked her to dance. She couldn't just retreat in the middle of a song without  
sending up a red flag and having someone question her on it. And the last thing she wanted to do was answer _their_ questions.

"You know who." He said with a nod. "Y'had t'know I'd figure it out sooner or later."

She pressed her lips together, looking back over her shoulder at the table once again.

"Yeah. Ah… did."

"So you plan on tellin' him?"

She looked back at him, her eyebrows knit tightly as she shook her head. "Ah don't know. Ah… didn't intend on him bein' here. Never thought ah'd see him again." She let out a short laugh. "Y'must be even more disappointed in me now…"

He shrugged. "_You're _not the one that should be worried Stripes. Don't worry 'bout me Stripes." He smiled. "Anna."

She rested her head on his shoulder, visibly relaxed at his response. "How do ah tell him Logan? How do you tell someone that?"

"Couldn't tell ya if I wanted to kid." He rubbed her back. "Ain't somethin' I'd ever wanna hear."

"He's gunna get mad..." she whispered quietly.

"Think a'Cole. If there's any chance that his real Father would be there for him… you wouldn't wanna take that away from him just cause yer scared."

She pressed her lips together. "Ah guess y'right."

"You guess? No. You don't 'guess' kid. You know."

Rogue laughed and pulled back slightly to look him in the eye. "When the hell did y'get so damn smart?!"

He smiled. "Always been. Just hide it well."

"Real well." She chuckled.

The song ended and he gave her a discreet kiss on the forehead. "I know you'll do the right thing."

She nodded, moving back over to her chair silently.

"What was that all about?" Joseph asked, watching Logan head back to his seat next to Hank across the dance floor.

"Nothin' Sugah. Just… dancin' with an' old friend." She pressed her lips together. "Remind me to um… we need t'talk. Later."

He nodded, puckering his brow. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah of course." She grinned, about to change the subject when Remy took her hand, planting a kiss on the back.

"Sorry mon ami…" He winked at Joseph. "Been dyin' t'do that."

Joseph squared his jaw and forced a strained smile.

"Remy." She pulled her hand away, noticing the tension instantly as if it were 6 years ago again. Gambit had always loved the fact that he could drive Joseph nuts with a single action. "What do y'want?"

"I want what he had." He jerked his thumb towards Logan. "T'dance with d'most beautiful woman here."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "There are just… so many things wrong with that sentence…"

"Come dance avec moi… mon amie." He smiled and looked at Joseph. "If dat's alright with you Joe."

Joseph nodded with an uneasy grin. "Yeah… of course."

She led Remy onto the dance floor, taking his hand and wrapping her arm around his neck.

"Why do you do that?" She shook her head. "Y'did it then… an' apparently y'still do it."

"What?" He gave her an innocent grin.

"You know exactly what. Joseph has always hated the fact that you were mah best friend. Ain't no reason t'go an' make him jealous now."

His stare grew deep, causing her to shiver inwardly. "Every reason in d'world t'make him jealous."

"Remy." She looked away "Don't do that."

"Desole fleur." He looked up at Sarah who gave him a playful wave as she danced with Kurt. "Dat conversation looked pretty intense… looked like y'needed an out."

She smiled, looking him square in the eye. He always had been able to read her like a book.

"Guess y'right." She let out a breath. "But y'didn't need t'make him all jealous like that. That's the last thing ah need…"

"Wanna talk?"

She sucked in a breath and swallowed hard, shaking her head. "No. Not really..."

They swayed to the music silently for a moment before he raised an eyebrow. "Anna? What is it?"

She chewed her lower lip for beat before exhaling deeply and looking him in the eye. "Do you love her?"

He cocked his head and looked back at Sarah before meeting Rogue's gaze again.

"No."

"What about…" She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "What about me?"

He let his eyes scan her face. "You were Remy's best friend too chère. Remember? 'Course I do."

"No ah…" She shook her head. "You know ah don't mean like that. I mean... _did _you..."

His grip on her waist loosened slightly and he nodded. "I know."

Rogue pressed her lips together and puckered her brow "Y'know what," She smiled forcibly "That was a really stupid question. An' we were young. You don't have to answer-"

"Fleur." He looked her in the eye again. "How could I not?"

She squared her jaw, holding his gaze. "It doesn't even really matter."

"Long time ago Anna." He gave her an easy smile. "Y'right. We were young."

She nodded silently.

"Ain' no reason why we can't still be pals." His eyes twinkled. "Nobody knows y'like Remy."

She let out a small laugh. "Ah think the reason for it was that no one else would put up with you."

"Oh really." He laughed. "An' here Remy was, thinkin' it was _you_ no one could put up with. Dat little Goth act wasn' exactly becomin', non?"

"Act?" She scoffed. "You better get your facts straight Cajun. That was no act. An' just because ah've ditched the look, doesn't mean ah've gone soft."

"Desole chère. Didn' realize y'were so... passionate about it." A slow grin traced it's way across his lips. Passionate was the perfect word to describe her. Her fiery temper, wild sense of humor, her likes and  
dislikes... perfect word.

"Dat all dat's on yo'mind?"

Her smile grew stale and let her eyes fall to his shoulder. "Ah um... don't really remember."

Remy smiled, apparently accepting her response as the truth "Dat's what happens after y'have un enfant… makes y'mind go t'mush…"

She laughed. "Y'preachin' to the choir there Remy. Y'know ah once went t'work in mah PJ's?"

He laughed. "Oui?"

"On mah day off."

He laughed harder this time and shook his head. "Ahh fleur… Remy missed dis."

She smiled and tightened her hold on him.

"Ah did too."

He looked past her to Joseph and shook his head "An' who'dve thought d'two a'you…" He let out a breath "I hope he knows how lucky he is."

"Remy, what happened with Belladonna?"

He frowned and looked away, his jaw tensing at the very mention of her name. "Things… don' always work out d'way y'plan. Hein?"

She nodded waiting for him to elaborate.

"We were married too young. 'Least fo' her. She couldn' handle d'pressures of runnin' d'guild an' bein' a wife. So we decided dat Remy'd take over d'guilds an' we'd start a family. Someone t'take over when we  
were done."

Rogue nodded again, hanging onto every word he said.

"Years of tryin'… Belle was devastated, though she wouldn' tell. Threw herself into work. An' any shred of relationship d'two of us once had just… died."

"Ah'm sorry."

"Don' be. Belle took over d'two guilds, which now both live in peace… an' Remy got d'boot." He smiled "Everyone got what dey wanted in de end."

"Except your Father."

"Well…" He glowered "Dere ain' much Remy could do t'give dat man what he wanted."

She smiled. "So why doesn't Sarah know?"

Remy looked shocked for a moment before a smile spread across his lips. "Little bit a mystery… makes life all dat much more excitin'."

The song came to an end and Rogue pulled away first, giving him a smile. "Thanks for the dance Remy. It was fun."

He watched as she turned around and headed back to her seat next to Joseph who wound his arm around her shoulders gently. "Dance ain' over yet chère." He whispered under his breath smiling at Joseph and offering him a friendly wave. "Not if I have anythin' t'say 'bout it…"

* * *

_**A/N -So... I'm not totally pleased with this chapter, but it's good enough. I could have procrastinated longer I'm sure... but what good does that do. Answer: none. :)**_

_**Please review!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N - Hey! Sorry it's been a few weeks... I had a busy week and didn't have time to post. Anyways, thanks for your reviews! Enjoy!! _**

**_PS - don't forget to vote in my new poll! Yippee!_**

8

She closed her eyes as the house lights dimmed. It had been so many years… she wasn't sure she'd remember what to do, how to move. She sucked in a slow breath opening her eyes to see the simulated obstacle course.  
The stretch of course before her had once been 'her' run. The one Logan made up especially for her to hone her agility. The one Remy had run with ease thousands of times… just to tease her. He'd always loved to tease  
her. She let out her breath and balled her fists, feeling the cool leather tighten between her fingers as it stretched over her knuckles. This was her fourth attempt. She ran forward, leaping towards the rope on the wall before  
her, scurrying up. She flipped herself up over the top, dropping to the ground on the other side. Rogue quickly regained her balance making a beeline for the balance beam, crossing a line of swinging obstacles that  
rhythmically danced back and forth, threatening to take her out in one fell swoop. She managed to dodge them, hopping onto the beam, trying to keep her balance as she ran, jumping off the end, grabbing onto the rope  
hanging over a gap of water. She swung across the gap, hitting the ground on the other side.

Hard.

She lost her balance slightly, stumbling forward, straight into the path of her next obstacle. The slab of concrete slammed against the wall, inches from her. She stumbled backwards, right into the path of the second slab that  
flew towards her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact. The giant slab stopped inches from her face, pressing her body against the wall, pinning her securely in place.

"Well, well..."

Her eyes shifted to the side, meeting two red, glowing eyes, the grin plastered on his face perfectly evident in his smarmy tone "Stuck b'tween a rock an' a hard place?"

She bit back her urge to yell at him, pressing her lips together. "Don't do this Remy."

"But I'm so intrigued chère. Y'look so… helpless." He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. After a moment of her struggling silently, Rogue let out a breath.

"Can it Cajun. Ah'm really uncomfortable…"

He jammed his bo staff in the gap, pressing the small red button with his thumb to open it up. The adimantium staff flew open, pushing the concrete wall back with ease.

"Better?"

"Much." She frowned.

"Y'rusty, non?"

"Ah can sure kick your ass at a game of Hungry Hippo, but unfortunately ah don't have much need for mah... other skills… in the real world." She shook her head as she inspected herself to make sure there was no damage  
done.

"Oh. What about your _other_ other skills?" He grinned slowly.

"Mah _other_ skills?" She raised her eyebrow playfully. "What… _other _skills are you talkin' about Mr. Lebeau? The ones that help me kick your ass? Or the ones that help me resist your… lovely charm?"

He laughed "Y'always could resist de charms non?"

"Y'damn right." She poked him in the chest. "Y'needed someone t'put you in your place."

He grabbed her hand with a smile. "May be true… but dem ain' de other skills Remy was talkin' 'bout…"

She pressed her back against the wall behind her as he inched closer. "Remy… don't."

"Pourquoi?"

"Because… we should never have…" She shook her head.

"But den y'wouldn' have any… skills…"

She smiled "You takin' credit?"

"Who else?" He rolled his eyes "Joseph?"

She frowned. "Don't do that Remy…"

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Ain' doin' anythin' chère." He muttered, the grin never leaving his face.

"Yes. You are." She whispered. "Y'know that 'charm' thing a yours don't work on me… so knock it off."

He shook his head, their eyes still locked. "… I ain' doin' anything Anna."

They stayed like this for a moment, hovering inches away from one another, before Rogue shifted.

"Ah should go." She gave him a peck on the cheek "Don't wanna stick around t'watch you do this obstacle course blindfolded…" Remy laughed and backed away; admiring the way she looked in the leather uniform she'd managed to pour herself into.

"And besides, ah have a date." She grinned.

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't do that…" She pointed at him. "Ah thought you woulda grown up some in six years."

He let out a breath, pushing back the urge to rag on Joseph. "Where y'goin' on dis _date_?" He said the last word like it was a curse.

She beamed again. "Picnic! An' Cole's taggin' along this time too. He's so excited…"

He looked away before she caught him rolling his eyes again. "Right well… have fun."

"You're enthusiasm is overwhelmin'." She said flatly. "Y'know ah never understood that about you. Ah was always jokin' around with you… bein' just one of the guys… listenin' to your tales of dates an' one night stands…"

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with an innocent shrug.

"An' everythin' was fine. But as soon as the tables are turned, you get all possessive." She pulled her gloves off and started for the door.

"Remy don' get possessive." He followed her.

"Or maybe it was because before Joseph… nobody ever wanted me, an' that's the way you liked it."

He frowned following in step beside her. "Anna, don' say dat. Y'were my best friend. It's my duty t'be protective. Not possessive." He shoved his hands into his pockets with a shrug. "An'… I guess Joseph's an' alright  
guy…"

Rogue smiled. "Thank you."

He held the door open for her. "Problem is… y'don' really want him."

She furrowed her brow. "Here we go again. Ah don't know what you keep basin' all a'your so-called-facts on. Y'say you know me so well, but y'seem t'only see the things y'wanna see. We got-"

Remy took her arms gently, stopping her mid sentence as he spun her around to face him.

"Who y'tryin' to convince here Anna? Me? Or you?"

---

_What an egotistical moron._ Rogue squeezed her eyes shut as the hot water pelted off her face. _'Who are you tryin' to convince.' Ha!_She spun around and wiped the water from her face with a scowl "That man's got a lotta nerve talkin' t'me like that." she mused out loud.

Of course he had a lot of nerve, _He always was one of the only people unaffected by mah temper... _She shoved the tap to the off position forcefully and tore the shower curtain open. "He should start worryin' about it right about now." she finished the thought out loud as she wrapped herself in a fluffy towel.

Rogue cautiously moved over to her bathroom door, opening it up just a crack; just enough to peek out to make sure the coast was clear. She'd been caught by him too many times this way. She'd fly out of her bathroom in a hurry to get ready and he'd be there, lounging on her bed as if he was meant to be there; as if this was _his_ room. With a deep, calming breath, she pushed the door open the rest of the way, satisfied she didn't have any unwelcome visitors.

As she applied her makeup, she cursed him for getting into her head like that. While she picked out her outfit, she swore she'd never talk to him again. And by the time she was dressed and ready, she'd let it go. So what if the stupid swamp rat was convinced Joseph wasn't right for her? He was entitled to his opinion, -as wrong as it was- and she knew better than to let him get under her skin so easily.

With another deep, calming breath, Rogue headed out into the hallway, making her way down to the kitchen to put their picnic together. She looked out the window with a frown as she pulled the basket out of the cupboard above the stove. Hopefully the rain would hold off. _Maybe ah'll ask Storm for a little favor._

"Hey."

Rogue spun around, the voice bringing her back to reality. "Joseph!" she smiled "It looks like the rain might hold off an'-"

The somber look on his face caused her to stop. "What is it?"

"I have to go."

"What do you mean?"

Scott walked in behind him. "Anyone seen Marrow? Emergency mission…"

"Scott! Shouldn't you be on your honeymoon?!"

"Duty calls." He pressed his lips together. "Besides we shouldn't be gone too long. Honeymoon can wait." Scott spun around and headed off to find Marrow. No doubt they wanted her to serve as communications. Thunder rumbled through the sky causing the building to shake lightly.

"Looks like we'd have to make a rain check on our outing anyways." Joseph rubbed her bare arms with an apologetic look.

"Yeah… no, of course. 'Duty calls.'" She said with a smirk, imitating Scott's official tone. "It's fine. Some other time."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Promise."

"Stay safe Joseph."

He smiled. "Always do."

She gave him a peck on the lips. "Goodbye."

Rogue watched as Joseph left, uttering a sigh as she looked down at her picnic lunch. She plopped her elbow on the counter and dropped her chin onto her fist, giving her head a shake. She knew Cole was going to be disappointed.

"Momma?"

"Yeah baby?" She looked up at him, standing in the kitchen doorway.

"We're not havin' a picnic. Are we?"

It wasn't a question. Just a sad realization.

"Not today Cole. You know Joseph's an X-man. An' sometimes important things come up that make him have t'leave t'help people."

Cole pressed his lips together thoughtfully and nodded. "Don't be sad Momma. We can have a picnic later."

She smiled slowly. "You're right Cole. Y'always know how t'make momma feel better."

He moved over to his mom and wrapped his arms around her waist in a tight hug.

"Dat looks like some lunch." Remy raised an eyebrow, giving Cole a wink. "Plan on eatin' it outside? In d'rain?"

She shook her head. "Picnic canceled."

He furrowed his brow. "Ah… y'don' have t'cancel. Jus' move it inside."

Cole's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

"But Joseph can't… he's leavin' as we speak."

"Don' need Joseph t'help you eat."

Cole giggled.

"'Sides, Sarah's off with dem too… so Remy's free." He gave Cole a smile. After a moment of hesitation, Rogue nodded. "Fine."

Cole jumped up and down, grabbing Remy's hand "Yay!"

"You boys go find a place t'set up." She shook her head as she watched the two walk away. Even when just five minutes ago she was ready to rip that smirking face off his head, she couldn't deny the truth; Remy always knew how to make her feel better. And it appeared he had the same affect on her little boy.


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N - Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! I love positive feedback. I'm a review whore. Not gunna lie. Anyways... here's another enthralling chapter that I'm sure you're all bound to enjoy... WINK._**

**_PS! Are you on team Remy or team Joespeh?! Make sure to cast your vote in my poll! (found in my profile) Every vote counts dudes... I still haven't written the ending... :)_**

* * *

9

"See that?" Cole pointed at the splotches of plaster on the ceiling of the library. "Looks like a bunny rabbit!"

Rogue folded her hands on her chest and tilted her head off to the side. "Kinda looks like Logan."

The two lying to her left started laughing. Apparently, they agreed. Although it wasn't as much fun as cloud watching, this was an amusing alternative.

Remy propped a hand behind his head, his other arm cradled Cole, whose head was resting against his shoulder.

"Dat looks like a train." Remy pulled his hand from under his head and pointed.

"I see it!" Cole smiled "I like trains."

Rogue sat up slightly, turning onto her side, propping her head up on her fist.

"Well y'don't say. Now there's somethin' ah didn't know!"

Cole laughed at his mothers' sarcasm.

"Y'know what Remy likes?" He asked with a grin. When Cole shook his head he wrapped his arm around the boy tightly. "Remy loves d'sound a'yo laugh…"

He tickled Cole's sides causing him to laugh and squirm.

"Ah'll save you Cole!" Rogue sat upright and began to pry at Remy's hand. "He's too strong Shuga! Ah think he's been eatin' too many veggies!"

Remy finally stopped and loosened his grip on Cole. "Dat's right. Nobody messes wit' Remy."

Rogue laughed and shook her head. "The thing is…" She scooted closer "Ah know you're just as ticklish. Get him!"

Cole hopped on top of Remy while the two of them started tickling his sides. Rogue grabbed his wrists and held his hands back, egging Cole on.

He suddenly went limp, claiming defeat.

"We won Momma!" Cole jumped up and down on Remy's stomach.

"But now…" Rogue lifted Remy's limp arm and dropped it with a frown. "He's dead!"

Cole flopped back down pulling one of Remy's eyes open and looking at his little eyebrows puckered.

It snapped shut when he let go.

"Now what?" Cole pouted.

Rogue shrugged "Ain't mah problem." She gave Cole a wink "Want some ice cream?"

He nodded enthusiastically until Remy reached up and yanked Rogue down on top of him.

"Not yo'problem?"

She laughed.

"Remy make it yo'problem."

Rogue laughed harder and pulled away as lightening flashed through the room.

"Momma!" Cole gasped "Can I go get my train? I wanna show Remy my train!"

She nodded "Sure thing Sugah."

Rogue smiled as she rolled onto her back next to Remy.

"Thank you Remy."

He turned to face her. "Thank you? For what?"

She rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows so she looked down on him lying next to her.

"For this."

"You made d'picnic. Remy should thank you."

She gave him a stern look "You _know_ what I mean."

He smiled.

"It means a lot to Cole."

His smile grew and he poked her side "Jus' Cole?"

She laughed "An' me too."

"Yeah?" He looked at her with a grin, propping his hands behind his head. She stared into his red eyes, giving him a slow nod.

"Glad ah could help y'chère." The smile spread to his eyes. "Y'know Remy'd do anything fo' you two."

"Ah know." she whispered.

"Haven't known Cole that long, but it feels like forever." He stared at the ceiling. "He really is a good kid chère."

She smiled silently.

"You ain' afraid a'little ol' Remy bein' a bad influence on him, huh?" his eyes met hers and she rolled them dramatically.

"Ah'm hopin' he'll be a good influence on _you._" She looked down at her hands that were folded on the ground.

"Ahh, you know as well as anyone chère... dere ain' no good influence on Remy." He smiled, pulling one arm out from behind his head to brush his knuckles along her cheek.

Her eyes darted over to his as she felt her face flush under his touch.

Without thinking, she moved in, gently pressing her lips against his in a slow kiss. Remy pulled his other hand out from behind his head, placing one on the small of her back and the other wandering to the nape of her neck. Remy rolled them over in one fluid motion, coming to a stop hovering over her at a better angle to deepen the kiss.

The lights flickered slightly before disappearing, engulfing the room in blackness .

Rogue's eyes snapped open immediately and she pushed Remy off of her.

"Cole!" She bolted to a sitting position.

"S'alright… jus' the storm." Remy murmured.

"No…" She stood up. "He's afraid of the dark."

She tried to feel her way to the door, hitting the couch and falling over with a _thud_. Gambit stood up and used his well honed thieving skills to feel his way towards the door in the dark. There was a loud shriek  
causing Rogue to jump up.

"Don' worry chère, Remy get him."

He moved into the hallway stopping dead in his tracks. Rogue squinted as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

"Remy?" She moved towards him, her hands extended in front of her to prevent another accident "What's wrong?"

She turned her head when she reached him and her heart dropped.

The slowly intensifying soft pink glow before her caused her heart rate to quicken suddenly, thudding so loud in her ears she would have sworn everyone else could hear it. Kitty and Peter stood on the other side, similar shocked looks plastered on both of their faces.

It was too late.

"Cole!" Rogue shouted. Through the glow she could see his back facing them. "Cole! Momma's here!" she stepped forward cautiously, the glow cast its' pink light onto Kitty's face who looked up at Rogue with her eyes wide open. He looked over his shoulder at her, another sight that caused her heart to race. His once bright green eyes were now a deep crimson, glowing against black.

The train he held in his hand was completely engulfed in the bright kinetic glow.

"Momma…"

"Ah know you're scared of the dark baby." She held up a hand taking another careful step forward, approaching the boy as if he was rigged to explode.

One wrong move and that's exactly what he'd do.

She looked over her shoulder at Remy whose shocked expression matched Kitty and Peters.

"Remy's here too, see? Y'don' have t'be scared."

Cole nodded, turning his head forward again, lifting his one hand to wipe away a tear that trickled down his cheek.

"Don't let go of the train Cole." Rogue instructed.

He sniffled "Ok."

"You need to settle down baby… don't be scared."

She took a few more steps towards him. With the hallway still pitch black - without the assistance of the glowing toy train- he couldn't see her if he wanted to. And she knew he wanted to.

"Ah'm here baby." She whispered into his ear, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around him.

"Don't let go of the train." She repeated.

He nodded "I'm sorry Momma…"

"Shhh… it's alright baby. We'll fix it, ok?"

He nodded.

"I could take the train and phase outside, let it explode out there…" Kitty knelt down with a frown, keeping her distance from the nervous boy.

"No!" He cried. The glow intensified, prompting Kitty to shield her eyes.

"I don't want my train to 'splode Momma."

He said through a fresh bought of tears that spilled down his cheeks. The glow grew even more intense as his hands dimly began to take on the same appearance as his train.

"It won't." She tried to sound as soothing as possible.

She watched as the pink burning glow crept up his arms and darkened slowly. Rogue watched, horrified at the very thought of what was happening to her little boy. She tried to calm herself to the best of her ability before allowing herself to try to speak.

"Remy." She loosened her grip on her little boy as she watched the charge seep out of his clothes. She tore her eyes away to look over her shoulder. He watched in silence, still visibly in shock.

"Remy!" she shouted, snapping him back to reality. He calmly stepped towards them and knelt down in front of the boy.

"P'tite." He ran a hand through his soft auburn hair that was being illuminated by the collar of his shirt.

"Dis yo'train huh?"

Cole nodded. "But I don't want it to 'splode!"

"Why don't y'give it t'Remy. Promise it won't explode."

"Promise!?"

Remy nodded.

"But Momma said don't let go."

"It's alright Cole." She hugged him tightly again and Cole let go of the train, handing it off to Remy. The glow instantly faded as Remy absorbed the charge. "Don' move p'tite mec," He instructed with a small grin. "Almost done."

"See?" She whispered into his ear. "Almost over."

With Remy's hand on Cole's arm, it would be safe to use her powers. She gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, slowly draining him of his energy. His limp body slumped forward into Remy's arms, the threatening light disappearing instantly.

The lights flickered slightly before power was returned to the mansion.

Rogue's eyes met his and they silently stared at one another for a moment. She knit her brow, trying to read the blank expression on his face, when he looked away.

Remy stood up with the little boy in his arms.

"We should take him to see Hank."

Rogue nodded and the two silently took Cole downstairs.

"Well," Kitty cleared her throat to break the silence, looking up at Peter "wonder where he gets it from."


	10. Chapter 10

10

Rogue listened to the monotonous beep of the machine that indicated her sons' heart beat. Kitty sat across from her silently staring at the unconscious boy. The two of them had been sitting there in silence for nearly an hour.

Finally, Rogue let out a breath as she stroked the hair on his head "Go ahead Kitty. Ah know you're dyin' to."

"Oh my God!" Kitty gushed "What… what?! You have to tell me everything! I can't believe you kept this from me!"

Rogue frowned "Ah'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just start explaining!" Kitty leaned in as if she was watching her favorite movie; and it was just getting good.

"Alright."

"And I want _every_ detail." Her eyes bore into Rogue as she spoke.

"Kit, you're kinda creepin' me out…" She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair "Well, ah guess it all started the day that Joseph left..."

…_** 6 years ago…**_

Rogue peeked out into the hallway, biting her lip as she contemplated her next action. She could just hang around and hope Kitty would return, or she could set out and look for the girl, risking mild humiliation from her other house mates.

With a sigh, she decided she couldn't wait for Kitty to get back, and she had a very small chance of finding her anyways. She'd obviously forgotten about her helping Rogue find an outfit to wear. She gave herself  
a once over in the mirror and shrugged. The short leather skirt was a stretch for her, but she'd been feeling adventurous. And her legs were pretty much covered with her high boots anyways. Her usual dark  
makeup was in place, and it made her feel better. Like a weird sort of security blanket. If anyone so much as snickered at her, she'd just punch them in the gut. Problem solved.

She headed out into the hallway, pulling her long black gloves on as she walked. When she passed the rec. room, she doubled back with a smile.

Gambit sat on the couch watching TV with his feet kicked up on the coffee table.

"Hey." She announced her presence. When he craned his neck to look at her she nodded.

"You're close enough. How do ah look?"

He raised an eyebrow "Close enough t'what?"

"T'Kitty. How do ah look?" She smiled.

"Y'look fine chère." He looked back at the TV.

"Gee thanks." She flopped down next to him on the couch. "Ah was kind of hopin' you'd embellish a bit."

He rolled his eyes "Y'can't tell a guy he's close enough t'Kitty Pryde an' den expect a river of compliments."

She grinned, noticing him give her another once over. "If I didn' know y'myself fleur, I'd do you. Dat better?"

She kicked her long -nearly bare- legs up on the coffee table and shrugged "Ah kinda like the first one better."

The commercial they'd been watching came to an end and a buxom blond in a red bathing suit began running along a beach in slow motion.

"Ugh. _Baywatch?_" She grimaced, reaching for the remote.

"No one invited you chère." He held the remote as far away from her as possible. "Dis a good one…"

"Ah'm serious! Ah don't wanna watch this crap!" She protested.

"Y'wan' d'remote so bad, come an' get it." He grinned.

"Ah will." Rogue leveled her gaze at him "Don't test me Cajun."

He simply turned back to the TV, still holding the remote at arms length.

She reached across him, grabbing at the remote with a laugh. "This ain't fair! You know ah hate this show…" she pouted, stretching as far as she could.

"Non chère, Remy was watchin' it long b'fore you got here." He held her back, still trying to watch the TV.

She reached across him again, stretching her body across his, causing him to smirk.

"You're such a creep." She said with a sneer, realizing he was enjoying her compromised position far too much.

"Yet y'still persist."

"Cause ah told you ah don't wanna watch!"

"Does it make y'feel insecure chère?" he murmured when she came to a rest inches away from his face.

"Yeah, that's exactly it." She rolled her eyes.

Someone cleared their throat in the doorway and Rogue bounced to her feet instantly.

"Joseph!" She grinned "Y'ready t'go?"

The frown that was fixed on his face was unavoidable.

Her grin remained steady as she let out a light laugh. "Ah bet you're wonderin' what's goin' on."

He crossed his arms and eyed Remy silently.

"Joe..." Rogue let out a breath, letting her shoulders slump "You know that Remy an' ah are friends. Nothin' else. Nothin' more."

"Dat's right homme." Remy smiled "Nothin' more."

Joseph shook his head. "I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your hands to yourself…"

"C'mon Joe, don't start this." She rolled her eyes. "We were just playin' around. Right Remy?"

He leaned back propping his hands behind his head with a cocky grin. "Ain' Remy's problem if y'can't satisfy d'little woman…"

Rogue swatted him upside the back of his head and he jerked forward from his cozy position.

"Sorry fleur, but d'man needs t'face up to the truth."

"Knock it off Cajun." Rogue hissed before moving over to Joseph and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Look. Ah love _you_."

"I know." He nodded, his stern look softening.

"You wouldn't think Kitty was makin' a move on me, would ya?"

He looked down and smiled. "No."

"Just think of him like... a big sister."

Remy grunted and Joe's smile widened.

"Good. Then this is done?" She kissed his nose. "Right?"

He nodded silently "You still wanna go out or did I ruin it?"

She smiled "'Course ah do. You couldn't ruin anything." She nuzzled his nose, noticing Remy's face twist up in disgust through the corner of her eye.

"Okay." He grinned, running his hands up her sides. "I'll meet you outside in ten."

Rogue nodded and watched as he left, blowing him a kiss.

"An' you." She spun around when Joseph was out of sight. "What the hell was that all about?"

Remy shrugged "Jus' tellin' it like it is fleur. D'man can't do the deed with his woman fo' some pansy ass reason… don't give him the right t'take it out on those of us who-"

She pressed her hand against his mouth.

"Ah wonder if you could say that any louder?!"

He rolled his eyes silently as she let her hand drop. "Joe would flip if he found out ah told you about that."

Remy smiled "He's got plenty t'be ashamed of."

She flicked his ear "He _respects_ me, dill-hole. More than you can say about any of your… endeavors."

He squared his jaw and focused on the TV.

"You ain't talkin' anymore? 'Cause y'certainly had lots t'say when Joseph was here." She crossed her arms expectantly.

He simply turned the volume up and continued watching.

"Y'know what Remy? Ah was wrong. Our friendship ain't worth fightin' for. When did you turn into such a huge ass?" She grabbed the remote from him and turned the TV off. "Look at me!"

"Anna," He shook his head "Yo' boyfriend is waitin'."

She set the remote down on the coffee table and shook her head. "Why don't you like him Remy?"

He let out a quick breath and frowned.

"We're friends… you're supposed to be there for me. Not try to sabotage the only healthy relationship ah've ever had." She frowned. "Why do you hate him so much? He's sweet, generous, handsome, charming...  
An' ah love him." She took his hand. "Ah don't know what ah'd do if mah best friend hated the man ah love."

"Chère, if you an' Joseph weren't dating, would you… hang out?"

Rogue shrugged "Ah don't know."

"C'mon." He gave her a knowing look.

"What does this even have t'do with anything?"

"Y'don't exactly have much in common."

"So?" She furrowed her brow. "Opposites attract."

"Does it seem normal dat y'got good friends who don't get along with the 'man you love'?"

"What are you tryin' t'say?" She pulled her hand away, trying to read the look in his eyes. The attempt was useless. She could never figure out what was going on in that pretty head of his. After a moment of silent turmoil, Remy sat back and shook his head.

"Nothin' chère. Go have fun." He smiled "An' I don' _hate_ him. Promise."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Right. Ah'll see y'later then…"

She turned around and moved towards the doorway, giving him a quick look over her shoulder before leaving. She couldn't shake the feeling that there had been something Remy wasn't saying.

The concern followed her through her date, hanging over her like a black cloud. Finally after they'd headed back to her room, Joseph frowned.

"Alright. What's on your mind? You still upset about earlier?"

She smiled "No. How could ah stay mad at you?" She brushed her cheek against his neck before gently nibbling his ear, leading him over to her bed.

"So what's on your mind then?" He asked after swallowing hard in an attempt to distract himself from how good her mouth felt on his flesh.

She tugged him down to sit next to her. "Nothin'." She whispered. "As in… what should you be wearin…?"

He groaned and closed his eyes as she positioned herself on top of him. _What nerve… the bastard, implyin' that Joe an ah are no good together._ She thought to herself as she peppered Joseph with kisses. _We're  
perfectly fine when we aren't arguing about __him_. _Maybe ah should just wash mah hands of him. Joe an' ah could be the best a'friends too. Right?!_She gently pushed him back, crawling her way up his body until she  
hovered just above his torso before proceeding to gingerly un-tuck his shirt and unbutton it slowly.

Honestly, if she'd ever given Joseph the chance to be her friend, she knew he'd be great.

But when was the last time she'd actually told him something that came from her heart, something that had nothing to do with her powers and how they made her feel? Had she ever really shared anything like  
that with him? She wondered to herself, planting a series of kisses on his bare stomach.

She moved up his chest and stopped just under his collar bone before he rolled her over onto her back, taking the lead.

As he started kissing her neck and massaging his hand up her side it dawned on her. Joseph had never been jealous of Remy's reputation with the ladies… it was always her who assumed that was the case. He  
was jealous of their friendship. It never had been that he didn't trust them; it was that _he_ wanted to be the one she talked to. _He_ wanted to be her best friend. Her Rock. Her confidant. Not Remy.

So why was that so hard for her to do?

She ran her hand through his white hair as he made his way down her chest, undoing each button with a kiss. When he reached the top of her skirt he froze, hovering centimeters from her flesh. She inhaled  
sharply and swallowed back the urge to moan. When she exhaled, she whispered the word that would change all three of their lives instantly.

"Remy…"

"What?" Joseph sat upright.

"What." Rogue's eyes flashed open. "What is it?"

"You just said something Anna."

Her breath hitched slightly and she sat up. "No, ah didn't say-"

"Yes. You did." He squared his jaw and stared at her silently for what felt like a full five minutes before he finally shook his head."Look Rogue, I can't do this with you anymore."

"Joseph. Don't over react. It was just a slip! Ah could have said any name. Ah just have a lot on mah mind." She smoothed her hands along his chest.

"But you didn't." He took her wrists and moved them off of him "You said _his_ name."

"Joe…"

"No. This… this is enough." He lifted his chin, trying to cling on to any shred of dignity he could grasp. "Me or him Rogue."

She blinked at him. "What?"

"I've been thinking of leaving for a while now… but I stayed because of you." He pursed his lips and looked back at her "You decide for me. Me or him?"

"Joseph, you can't make me do this."

"I believe I just did." He stood up "So which is it Rogue? Because I won't wait around forever."

"Joe... ah can't do that."

"Then your choice is loud and clear."

"What do you expect me to say Joseph?! You just asked me to pick between you an' Remy? Pick what anyhow? Who ah love more? Who a want?"

He shook his head "Who you'd be willing to give anything up for. It seems your mind is already made up."

"Joseph. Don't do this…" She shook her head.

He stood up and buttoned his shirt "You leave me few other options here Rogue." He moved over to the door and stopped just before leaving.

"I've already looked into the details. I won't be here in the morning."

"Joseph… Don't go." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "Please."

He pressed his lips together and turned to leave. "Goodbye Anna."

He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he didn't. He simply left. Walking his way out of her life and closing the door behind him.

* * *

**_A/N - Again, thank you all for your tremendous reviews. To all of you who found humour in Kitty's line, thank you. There's no hiding the fact that I just can't help myself with Kitty humour... (Go read The Beautiful Mind of Katherine Pryde. You'll see what I mean. LOL)_**

**_TristeAlma asked how Cole got his powers at such a young age and my answer is this: do not worry child. This will be discussed. ;)_**

**_Keep them reviews coming! I loves readin' em! I really do! And make sure you VOTE VOTE VOTE for your favorite man!_**

**_P.S._**

**_Dear Forrest:_**

**_Ah wish ah could explain it to yah better, but y'know what yo'momma used ta say.... Stupid is as stupid does. Ah don't git that sayin' one bit, but mah point is, you's kinda stupid..._**

**_;)_******


	11. Chapter 11

11

She sat on her bed in the dark as she had so many times before.

BeforeJoseph. And now he was gone, and it was all her own stupid fault.

Her body tensed up when she heard the knock.

"Go away." She turned her back to the door. She wasn't in the mood to entertain. She had to think.

"Now, y'know a locked door ain' gunna keep Remy out."

She looked at him over her shoulder. He leaned against the door jamb with a lopsided grin. She let out a short breath.

"You here t'gloat? Cause ah don't think ah can listen right now."

"Fleur, jus' checkin' up. Y'got Kitty worried t'death. Been locked up in yo' room all week."

"Ah'm fine." She looked at him again and he could tell she was lying. He furrowed his brow.

"What happened?"

She ran her tongue along her lower lip "With Joseph?"

He nodded and to his surprise she laughed.

"It's really quite amusin'." She shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest "Ah guess… maybe you were right all along. Ah really did love him though..."

A frown tugged the corners of his mouth "Belle, don' listen t'what Remy said about him. I was…" He sat down next to her on the bed and shook his head. "Protective."

She looked at him again. "He wanted me to choose. Between you an' him."

Remy raised his eyebrows, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ah couldn't do it Remy." She shook her head. "What does that even mean?"

He sat up a little straighter "He shouldn' have done that chère. If Remy'd have known that… I would've just… left you two be."

"No, it wasn't you. It wasn' him either…" She looked away slowly.

"He was d'one that tried t'make you choose Anna."

"Everything was fine. Goin'…" She smiled slightly "Well… it was goin' somewhere if y'catch mah drift."

He squared his jaw and nodded with a grunt.

She looked away bashfully and hesitated.

"Ah said…" She ran a hand through her hair. "Ah said someone else's name."

He raised an eyebrow and let out a low whistle.

"Dat's pretty serious chère. Trust me. Happened before."

She furrowed her brow. "To you?"

He nodded, draping his arm around her shoulders. "Y'd never seen anyone pull his pants up an' run at d'same time so damn fast…"

She rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the gut. Of course it would have happened to him.

"Now here's d'real question. Who's name? If y'said Kitty… more embarassin' den anythin' for him. Means y'weren't payin' attention." He gave her a mock look of embarassment iliciting a small giggle from her "But

Peter…" He butted his head against hers gently. "With all dem big muscles…"

She shook her head with a smile. "Sounds like _you_ said Peter."

He frowned "Dat ain' even funny."

"Ah thought it was." She chuckled.

"Y'won' be laughin' when she figures out who _Anna_ is…"

She pressed her lips together. "Remy…"

"It's true." He smiled, continuing to tease her. "Would've been worse if ah'd said Rogue though…" He stroked his scruffy chin thoughtfully.

"Stop."

"Y'know, seein' as most people 'round here know you as _Rogue_."

"Ah said stop it." She pushed his arm off of her. "It ain't funny Remy. You… you're the reason. Shit like that…"

He furrowed his brow at her peculiar response. "Fleur, Remy's jus' pullin' yo'leg."

He watched as she pulled away from him and hugged herself.

"Rogue?" He tried to move to her again. She turned away.

"Who's name did y'say?"

She let out a sharp breath, digging her elbows into her knees as she raked her fingers through her hair. Her silence was answer enough.

"Oh."

"So what does that mean then? Since you seem t'be the expert?"

He pressed his lips together, at a loss for words.

For a while they sat in silence before he took a breath. "Ah'm sure it was on d'Kitty side…"

She looked at him quietly before giving her head a shake. "This is really embarassin'…"

"Aw chère." He took her chin, gently turning it so she faced him. "It was a slip. Dat's all. Right?"

"Right." Rogue said with a small nod.

His gentle touch moved over her jaw. "Dat's good. We don' need t'mess up a perfectly good friendship over somethin' so silly." He said softly.

"Absolutely." She whispered.

"An' what with me bein' practically married an' all…" He added with a smirk. She nodded again.

"Who knows how long Remy be 'round fo'…"

She moved close to him, brushing her lips against his lightly.

"It jus' ain' smart…" He breathed against her mouth. "We both know dat."

She hummed in agreement, twisting her fingers in his hair as she pulled him in.

…

The two sat in silence before Kitty finally blinked. "Never in a thousand years… would I have ever imagined you two… like that…"

"Well ah certainly hope you don't imagine _anyone_… 'like that'." Rogue smiled.

Kitty's shoulders slumped "I can't believe it. One time… and this…" She looked at Cole. "You guys are like, the poster kids for skeptical people out there… thinkin' they can't get pregnant their first time."

Rogue was silent, stroking Cole's hair.

"Right?" Kitty said, throwing a hand in the air. "I mean, what are the odds. They're pretty low. Right?"

Rogue refused to make eye contact.

"Oh my gosh Rogue, tell me it was just once."

Rogue's face twisted up slightly, like a little kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar.

Kitty's eyes widened. "I thought it was like, just a mistake! It's not a mistake if you keep _doing_ it."

Rogue shrugged defensively "It's like gettin' this awesome new toy, playin' with it once, an' then just puttin' on the shelf forever."

"Great analogy." Kitty grimaced.

"Well it's true. Our friendship was effectively murdered after one time anyways, might as well have some fun with it."

Kitty sat back and let out a breath. She started talking about something else, something about how she and Peter met, but Rogue was only half listening.

She closed her eyes and brought the memories back. All the secret rendevouz, midnight meetings, sneaking around everyone as if everything about what they were doing wasn't totally and completely wrong. All  
the while still acting like they were nothing more than pals. Rogue had to admit, they were very good actors. Best friends with benifits. Nothing more. What a perfect arrangment.

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head silently.

That couldn't have been further from the truth.

…

"_Hey Sugah."_ She'd poked her head in through the bathroom doorway. "Everything alright?"

He looked at her through her reflection in the mirror before splashing some warm water on his face.

"Perfect chère. Hope ah didn' wake you up."

She smiled through her tired eyes. "No. Ah was thinkin' of headin' back to mah room anyways." She rested her head against the door jamb "No point in gettin' too comfy here."

He smirked, taking in the sight of her wearing nothing but his t-shirt. "What are y'tryin' t'do t'Remy?"

She laughed "Ah'm not doin' anything!"

He looked at her over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "Yo' a tease." He moved towards her, circling his arms around her waist. It was in that moment as she wound her arms around his neck, looking deep into his crimson eyes that she began to wonder what the twinkle in his eye really was.

It wasn't lust or passion as she'd thought originally. It was different. More tender.

She furrowed her brow as she inspected his gaze.

He closed the gap between them, his lips meeting hers in a deep, hungry kiss, erasing her train of thought completly. His hands wandered up the back of her shirt with the kind of urgency she was more used to from him. Not tender. This was lust. He manuvered them around, pressing her up against the wall behind her.

"One more time." He whispered breathlessly in her ear, causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. "Before you go."

How could she argue with that? She'd groaned and pulled him back towards her, hooking a leg up on his hip to wrap around him in an attempt to pull him even closer.

And that was it. That had been their last night together. The next _morning,_ _he was gone._

…

"Rogue?" Kitty raised an eyebrow "Are you listening?"

"Hmm?" Rogue looked up at her innocently.

Kitty rolled her eyes "I asked if you wanted anything to eat."

"No, ah'm fine Kit." She gave Kitty a half hearted smile. "Thanks."

The door opened, prompting both women to turn their attention to the visitor.

He pressed his lips together, locking eyes with Rogue.

"How is he?"

Rogue hesitated, her eyes flicking to Kitty quickly, before returning to Remy's. "Hank says he'll be fine. Just… waiting."

"Um, I'll be right back. You're sure you don't want anything?" Kitty stood, her eyebrows perked upwards with the question.

Rogue shook her head and Kitty slipped past Gambit in the doorway, closing the door behind her.

He sat in the chair previously occupied by Kitty, resting his elbows on his knees and wringing his hands silently. As hard as he tried, he couldn't hide the worry that pinched his eyebrows together.

"Dis happen often?"

"Often enough."

He leaned back, keeping his eyes on the sleeping boy. "Dat's why y'came back. Fo'Cole?"

She nodded slowly. "He's different. His powers started manifesting about a year ago, but there were signs when he was just a baby."

He looked up at her, letting his gaze fall back to the boy. She'd obviously already recognized the similarity between the two, it wasn't anything new to her: Remy's powers had been with him since birth.

After a moment, Rogue let out a breath. "Remy, ah'm so sorry. Ah wanted to tell you…"

"No y'didn't." He shook his head.

She pursed her lips as she stared at him. She couldn't be sure if he was trying to call her bluff or just trying to be difficult. Either way, both possibilities were accurate; she _was _bluffing, and he _was_ being difficult.

"Alright." Rogue sucked in a slow breath and shook her head. "I didn't _want_ t'tell you, but ah was going to."

"Waitin' fo' a writtin' invitation?"being pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to calm her raising temper. She'd expected him to be upset, and in all fairness... maybe she deserved this.

Definitely

She let out a slow, calming breath. "Ah never thought ah'd see you again Remy." She spoke slowly "Ah didn't plan for this."

Remy leaned forward again, running his hands through his hair as he visibly processed all the information being thrown at him.

"Ah didn't know how t'go about even attempting to tell you. Let alone figureing out how t'tell you without havin' you... pull a Remy."

"What d'hell does dat mean?"

"It means as soon as you get emotionally compromised, you run." She struggled to keep her voice down. "Just like y'did back then."

"What are you talkin' about... 'emotionally compromised back then'?" He knit his brow and inched forward in his chair, his voice raising a notch.

They exchanged a hard stare in silence. Both of their tempers were clearly close to the edge, and Rogue sucked in another calming breath before she was able to find enough self control to use her inside voice.

"Don't act like you don't know." She narrowed her eyes and hissed. "The moment you realized things were gettin' too serious, was the moment you decided t'leave."

"I left 'cause it was my time." He clenched his jaw "Had nothin' t'do with-"

"You didn't have t'go. Y'coulda stayed Remy. You been disobeyin' Jean Luc your whole life, ah'm sure he wouldn't have been shocked." She snorted. "Y'didn't even have the guts t'say goodbye. Ah had to find out  
with everyone else."

"You give yo'self too much credit Anna." He leaned back in his chair with his signature cocky grin fixed on his lips, throwing his hands behind his head nonchalantly. "We both know what Remy does when he's  
done with a woman. Shouldn'a been so surprisin'.'Specially not t'you."

Rogue lifted her chin slightly, pressing her lips into a thin line. Despite his arrogant front, Remy looked away; knowing that his words had hit their target.

"My point is… it was my time t'go. We both knew that day was comin'." He added coolly.

Remy looked up at her again, watching her work the muscles in her jaw. Something she did often in her darker years. He'd learned to read it as her repressing her feelings. She kept her eyes fixed on Cole's  
sleeping face, settling her boiling blood slightly.

"You're right." She said finally. "Guess ah just thought maybe there was somethin' in you that still cared about me as a friend."

"Guess you thought wrong." He snipped.

He watched as she stroked her thumb across the back of Cole's pale hand, noticing a glint of moisture in her eye. She looked away quickly and clenched her jaw.

"Ah don't expect anything from you Remy." She muttered. "Just please, don't tell Joseph."

This time, he tightened his jaw. Of course Joseph would come out looking like a saint in all of this, and he was stuck looking like an ass. What else was new? Who would be shocked by _that_?! He shoved the bitter  
thoughts from his head and frowned as she continued to speak.

"Things are goin' really well between us, ah'll tell him when the timin's right."

"Things goin' so well between you dat yo' kissin' other men, chère? I assume y'don't want Remy tellin' him about dat either, hein?" He smiled distainfully "Y'still a tease."

Rogue glared at him and Remy chuckled, giving his head a thoughtful shake.

"Don' know why y'keep fallin' back into the same ol' rut. Remy keep tellin' you d' same thing. You ain't right for eachother. But y'never seem t'wanna listen t'me. I guess Joseph is d' safe bet-"

"No. Joseph is my _only_ bet." she snapped. "An' now that we don't have _you_ in the way, things will be fine."

"Y'don' have me in the way..." He let out a sarcastic laugh letting his eyes move back to Cole. "Seems t'me I'm in de way more den he knows."

"We both know what Remy does when he's _done_ with a woman." She smiled disdainfully, repeating his words back to him. "Joseph has nothing t'worry about."

* * *

**_A/N- Dum dum dummmmm... I'm too tired to think of anything pithy to say. _**

**_Thanks for your reviews guys! Love 'em! Keep 'em coming!!! And in true Olympic Canadian spirit I have to say WOOOO! for getting our first Gold Medal! WOOOO!!! Go Team Canada!_**


	12. Chapter 12

12

Storm was the first one off the jet, followed by Jean, Scott and Sarah, who bounded past them to give Remy a hug. He looked past her, watching Joseph and Logan leave last.

"You guys have an alright flight?" Bobby asked, assisting the team in their arrival. "The weather here was a real bitch."

Storm smirked "We had a little assistance."

Bobby grinned "You guys missed it man… the power in the whole mansion went out." He snapped his fingers "Like that. Really spooky."

Sarah lowered her voice a notch "Is that why you look so spooked Rem? You afraid of the dark?" She poked him teasingly but he ignored her, stepping aside to face Joseph.

The white haired young man knit his brow.

"What's yer problem Gumbo?" Logan grumbled as he passed him, pulling the gloves to his uniform off.

"Uh-" Remy pressed his lips together, shooting out a short breath through his nostrils "Ro- Anna…" He corrected himself awkwardly "asked for you t'meet her in d' med bay."

Joseph's expression grew serious "Med bay? Is everything alright?"

He nodded "It's Cole. He's alright, dere was just… a little accident."

Joseph hurried past them and Logan caught Remy's eye before he could leave too.

"Everything alright?"

Remy blinked at the question before nodding. Sarah had headed in with the others leaving the two men alone.

"_You _alright?" Logan cleared his throat "Looks like y'seen a ghost."

The question for his well being caught him off guard and he nodded silently again.

Logan pressed his lips together "This accident. Didn't have t'do with those powers the kid has… did it?"

Remy's eyebrows perked up as he stared at Logan.

"I know everything. An' don't you forget it." A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth when he watched Gambit nod silently. This had to be the longest the Cajun had ever gone without talking in his presence.

"Word of advice; y'might wanna wipe that stunned look off yer face." He walked past him "People might start to catch on. And then people might start expectin' things from ya."

He passed Remy as he headed towards the door "Y'don't want that, do you." he mumbled.

---

"Hey!" Joseph was out of breath as he pulled the door open and walked in. "Are you ok?! Kitty told me everything…"

Rogue looked up at him, her gaze slowly moving over to the short brunette who stopped in the doorway next to him.

"Yeah. You know… the lights go out and poor Cole's afraid of the dark, so Rogue runs to find him, trips over the couch and bam!" She smacked her hands together "Absorbed the little guy."

Joseph glanced at Kitty "Yeah, I heard you the first time…"

Rogue relaxed, giving Kitty a grateful smile "Yeah, I'm fine."

Joseph exhaled deeply, moving over to her side. "And how is he?"

She smiled as he stroked her hair. "He'll be right as rain in a few hours. Won't remember a thing."

Joseph sat back in his chair and shook his head. "That's good. He's a trooper, right?"

For the first time since the 'accident' Rogue chuckled "That he is."

---

Remy crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He knew it wouldn't be appropriate to be in the room right now. But waiting outside? He'd just look like a concerned friend.

But he wasn't just a concerned friend.

He was Cole's Father.

He groaned and slid down the wall until he sat on the cold floor. He remembered how things had been back then; spontaneous and carefree. But they'd _always_ been safe. Maybe she was wrong… maybe he wasn't really-

He shook the thought from his head.

Rogue wasn't like that. And besides, he saw the evidence with his own eyes: Cole's mutation.

A mixture between his and Rogue's. Mostly his.

Almost exactly his.

There was no denying it; Cole was his son.

Kitty rounded the corner, crossing her arms when she saw him.

"There are chairs y'know."

He nodded, burying his face in his hands. "I know." He muttered.

She cocked her head with a frown. "Cheer up buttercup."

He shook his head "Not now Kitty."

"Then when Remy?" She pressed her lips together. She moved towards him, sitting down with him on the cold ground slipping an arm around his shoulders. "Look. You loved the kid to pieces before you found out  
he was… you know…" She lowered her voice as if the halls were bugged with listening devices "so what does it matter if he's… you know…"

He let out a sharp breath, "Y'wouldn' understand chère."

She lifted her chin slightly. "Try me."

Remy rested his head against the wall behind him. "Remy don't do so well with responsibility."

"So I've noticed." She smiled.

"Jean Luc… he never taught me how t'be a Father. D'only thing Remy's good at is stealin'. Dat's it."

"You don't give yourself enough credit Remy." She whispered. "You're a pretty good guy… deep down…" She hesitated "I guess…"

He smiled when she scrunched up her nose in a mock look of disgust.

"If you expect nothing but failure from yourself… then that's all you'll get. Self fulfilling prophecy." She looked at him with a smile. "I read it in a fortune cookie once."

"Ah p'tite..." He paused and shook his head "Dat's all _anyone's_ expected from Remy."

Kitty put her hand on his gently, her eyebrows puckering slightly as she looked at him. "Not Rogue."

"Oui. Rogue too."

"Gambit, you know that's not true." Kitty's demeanor became slightly angry, and it caught him off guard. "She was the only one who believed in you when you first came here; and I know it, and I know _you_ know it."

"Dat ship has sailed chère." He muttered, remembering their tense conversation earlier. _Pull a Remy_, as she'd put it. A self fulfilling prophecy indeed. He had been angry at her for not telling him, but in all honesty  
he couldn't blame her. After all, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't planning his escape in the back of his mind at this very moment.

"Look," She folded her hands in her lap "I know I'm probably the last person you want to be talking about this with,"

"Not _dead_ last..."

"But I want you to know that you can talk to me. I mean, like really talk to me. I know what you're going through-" She shook her head quickly "Not like, exactly or anything. But like," she let out an exasperated sigh and Remy smiled. The word 'like' always peppered her sentences, but it seemed to increase when she was nervous. Or excited, or stressed. He noticed her fidgeting through the corner of his eye.

"Spit it out chère."

"Look, I know what it's like to have low expectations from everyone." Kitty lifted her chin indignantly. "Everyone thinks I'm a moron." she pursed her lips. "Shallow." she elaborated.

"Chère..."

"No, it's true, they do. And everyone thinks you're useless. But it's_ not_ true." her gaze fell back to her hands in her lap. "I just wanted you to know that... as stupid as you think I may be, you can talk to me. I'm a lot more observant than people give me credit for you know."

"Y'didn see Anna an' I..." He pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah well..." she tossed a hand in the air with a smile "I don't think even Destiny could have seen that one coming."

Remy chuckled before rubbing the back of his neck "Joseph's good f'Cole. He's..."

"Perfect." Kitty finished for him with a simple shrug. Remy glanced over at her with a scowl before nodding.

"Yeah. He's perfect."

"But he's not you."

"Dat's pretty much what makes him perfect."

Kitty smiled and gave Remy a nudge. "No, I mean he's not Cole's... you know..."

Remy shut his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face "I know."

"I just... want you to know that not everyone is against you." She bit her lip and wrung her hands together "I know you'll do the right thing."

"An' what is dat?"

She shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't come across a fortune cookie what_ that_ answer yet."

* * *

_**A/N- Okay, so it's later than usual, and shorter than usual. And for this I apologize. I haven't been in the "writing mood". Too many decisions... too much stress... lol**_

_**Reviews! Loved em!**_

**_S2T- You ARE a Cole fan girl. You're also a Kitty fan girl. You know it. It's one of your past times. LOL (inside joke.) :) (Dick smile) And yes, this was a jerkish thing of him to say, but Remy is not perfect. Please... hold your arguments... no, sadly he is no Edward Cullen. (Sarcasm. Or Kitty speaking, either way... lol) OMG! This reminds me of my dream last night... totally weird with Vampires and shapeshifting ghosts... and a baby doll... I need to stop getting drunk before I go to bed. (This is obviously a joke as I'm 7 months pregnant.) (I feel the need to explain my jokes so I don't get questioned on them via review. lol)_**

**_Chellerbelle - YES. Cole is the real victim here. :(_**

**_roguelover321- you're a woman of few words and I loves it. _**

**_Colourcoated - Yes, Remy is being a jerk. And a little pouty sucky baby. lol_**

**_Logan - Life was good indeed._**

**_Val - LMFAO!!!!!!! _**

**_ALLREMS - Thank you! And I think it's safe to say that you're right... it's just posponed... lol_**

**_To all who commented on how bad they feel for Remy, I'd just like to say... yes... he deserves some sympathy. But bare in mind that he disappeared and Rogue had to raise Coley all on her own for six years!!! Talk about baby daddy drama._**

**_Keep dem reviews comin' hein? (I don't know why I said that with the accent.)_**


	13. Chapter 13

13

After a knock on the door, Logan poked his head into the room. Cole grinned as he ate his green jello from his propped up position on the bed.

"Good t'see you again kiddo."

"He just got up a few minutes ago. Been a full day, but he's fine now."

"Just the tiny issue of his uncontrollable mutation." Logan stepped inside the room and leaned against the wall. Cole's eyes lit up as he swallowed "Mr. Logan, you know I can make things blow up!?"

Rogue pressed a finger to her lips. "Not everyone knows Coley. We still have t'keep it a secret."

Cole nodded and took another mouthful of jello.

"So what's up?" Rogue crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "Y'look like a man on a mission."

His expression grew dark. "Can I talk to you... outside for a sec?"

She nodded without hesitation, patting Cole on the knee. "Ah'll be right back, okay baby?"

With a nod, he shoved another spoon full of jello into his mouth as she followed Logan out into the hallway.

"What is it?" She stared at him, closing the door behind her. He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned.

"It's about Gambit."

She blinked at him for a beat before tilting her head to the side. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No." Logan's frown deepened as he shook his head. "He's gone."

She exhaled hard and squared her jaw. "Ah _knew_ he'd do this Logan..."

"I'm sorry kid."

"Don't be." She lifted her chin and shruged. "Cole an' ah got on just fine without him before. He made his choice."

Logan nodded silently.

"Could you... stay here with Cole for a bit?" She sucked in a deep breath. "Ah could use some fresh air."

"'Course. Take yer time."

Rogue spun around and hustled down the hall to the elevator, waiting impatiently as it brought her up to her floor. She hurried off to her room, slamming the door behind her before snatching a pillow off her bed and burying her face in it to let out a deafening scream. A slew of curse words followed until she finally dropped down on her bed in silence. Angry tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She sqeezed her eyes shut tightly to keep them at bay. There was no way on earth she was going to shed one tear for that selfish ass. Not again.

---

"Well, I have some good news for you kiddo." Hank smiled at Cole, setting his clipboard down at the foot of his bed. "Your insides are a-okay. Just make sure you take it easy. We'll help you with those powers of yours."

Cole pressed his lips together and looked at Logan. "Can I go see my Mom now?"

The gruff mutant cracked a smile and nodded. "Get dressed. I'll take you to her."

Logan and Hank stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind them to give the boy some privacy.

"Where is Rogue?" Hank frowned. "She hasn't left her boys side since he arrived down here."

Logan's brow puckered and he shot out a breath. "She needed some air."

"Hmm... well let her know that I've suggested to Charles that they increase the number of their meetings. I'm afraid Cole needs to get this under control faster than we'd thought."

Logan crossed his arms "I don't understand. Gumbo dealt with the same thing, he's still breathin'. For now at least."

Hank smiled, removing his glasses to clean them off on his white coat. "Yes, but Cole is also an empath, and his abilities are triggered through emotion." he lowered his voice a knotch. "We're not only dealing with the emotions of a sensative child, we're dealing with the emotions of everyone around him that he loves."

"Rogue." Logan grunted.

Dr. McCoy nodded. "She has a bad day... he has a bad day."

"Don't we all." He grumbled under his breath.

Once Cole was all dressed and ready to go, Logan brought him upstairs to Rogue's room. She answered the door with a big grin, as if she was 100% and knelt down to his level.

"Hey! There's mah little man!" she held out her arms and scooped him up into a big hug. "Ah'm so happy you don't have to stay in that yucky room anymore."

"Me too!" he grinned before pushing back far enough to see her face. His smile quickly turned to a frown. "You're sad."

She worked the muscles in her jaw for a moment and cleared her throat before nodding. "You're right Cole. Ah'm sad. But it's okay to be sad sometimes."

"But why are you sad? I'm okay now, right?"

The smile returned to her face and she nodded. "That's right. An' ah'm happy about _that."_ He pressed his lips together and nodded reluctantly.

"How about we go get some ice cream after dinner?"

Coles eyes lit up and his nod turned enthusiastic. "Can I get chocolate Momma?"

"You can have whatever kind you want hon!"

He grinned excitedly, the worry from moments ago all but forgotten. Obviously Rogue had become very good at distracting the little boy. But she couldn't fool _him._ He could see it in her eyes. And if he ever got a hold of that Cajun jackass, he'd take care of the situation himself.

--

Joseph held out his hand, a concerned look plastered on his handsome face.

"How are you?"

She smiled and took his hand. Even though he didn't understand why she gave a damn that Gambit up and left with no explination, and he certainly didn't give a damn himself, he still asked.

"Ah'm fine." she shrugged, feeling his doubtful eyes on her. She let out a sigh and shook her head. "Ah just... expected more of him ah guess. Thought maybe he'd grown up some."

Joseph nodded silently, turning his attention back to Cole who was eagerly munching on his cone with a ring of chocolate around his lips.

"How's that ice cream, sport?"

His eyes flicked over to Joseph and gave him a wide grin causing Rogue to laugh.

"At least you're enjoyin' it." She handed the young boy a napkin. "We better get goin' bud, it's gettin' pretty late."

Cole shoved the remainder of the cone in his mouth before using the napkin his Mom gave him to clean off his face. "Done!" He announced with a toothy grin.

On the way home, Cole balanced along the curb infront of Rogue and Joseph, happily expending some of the energy he'd acquired from the surgary snack.

"He seems to be feeling much better." Joseph glanced at Rogue with a grin, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"He won't be so happy when he finds out Gambit's gone." She said with a shrug. "That man has a way with kids."

"That's because he practically is one." Joseph chuckled. Rogue's lips formed a tight line and her brow wrinkled slightly. "Don't tell me you disagree! C'mon... he's all fun and games, no responsibilties. You know that."

She let out a light breath. "Ah know..."

"Not that there's anything wrong with it. It works for him. Just as long as nobody expects any different from him." Joseph shrugged. "You said yourself, you expected more from him."

Rogue's frown deepened.

"I don't like to see you upset like this Anna."

She shook her head. "Ah'm not upset. Let's just... change the subject."

Joseph smoothed his thumb along the back of her hand and nodded. "Sure."

With a deep breath, Rogue plastered a grin on her face and turned to face Joseph. "Ah really appreciate you takin' Cole an' ah out tonight."

"Not a problem." He winked.

"He really likes you." she looked forward, turning her attention back to her son as he hopped on and off the curb. "You're really good with him."

"He's a good kid, he makes it pretty easy." Jospeh dropped her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to him. "You raised him well."

Rogue smiled as they rounded the corner to the institute, following Cole as he bolted down the driveway and raced up the steps.

"Momma," He hollered from over his shoulder. "Is it time for bed?"

"Just about!" She called back "Go an' get your PJ's on."

"You think Joe can read me some stories tonight?" he shouted excitedly.

Joseph grinned as they walked up the steps to meet Cole at the door. "Sure thing sport."

---

After a bath and changing into his PJ's, Cole climbed up into bed and snuggled down under the blankets with a content little grin. Joseph read him a story as promised, and now it was time for sleep. Rogue smoothed the hair off his forehead and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Did you have fun today?"

"Mmmhmm!" He nodded with a smile. "I liked Joe's book. He did the pirates voices an' everything! You should do that too Momma... it was funny."

Rogue chuckled and stroked his cheek as she leaned over to turn off the light next to his bed. "Ah'll remember that for next time."

"An' I was thinkin'... maybe Mr. Logan could read to me too. I bet he'd be a good reader."

"Maybe."

"An' Remy. He'd definately be good." He said with a nod, bunching the blankets up under his chin.

Rogue pressed her lips together and let out a breath, choosing not to respond to his last statment at all. He'd find out soon enough. "Goodnight hon."

"Night Mom."

She gave him another kiss on the forehead before ensuring his nightlight was lit, and leaving him to go to sleep.

She frowned as she closed the door behind her, slowly walking down the hall to her own room. The weight of the day finally settling around her, causing her to feel instantly tired. She pulled her bedroom door open and stepped into the darkness, closing the door sluggishly behind her.

Remy was gone. And now Cole wouldn't get the chance to know who his Father was. Sure, she lived in a mansion filled with good substitutes... but one day that wouldn't be good enough. One day, Cole was bound to ask her about him. And what could she say? Remy's leaving would break Cole's little heart, but he'd get over it eventually. That is, until he found out _why_ Remy was so compelled to leave.

She flopped down on her bed hard and kicked her shoes off.

Apparently, nobody was important enough to Remy to make him stick around. Not even his own flesh and blood.

* * *

_**A/N- Ahhh not the greatest chapter ever, but I was really stuck on it. I figured it was good enough. Kind of short, but it works. :) Hope you all enjoy it still. Thanks for your reviews (They really do keep me going when I hit the wall.)**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N - First off... I am SOOO SORRY it took me so long to update! I assure you all, I will not abandon this story. That sort of thing ain't my bag baby. My excuse is really good though... I swear. A mixture of insane writers block, busy running after my two year old son, and giving birth. Yes, that's right... on May 19th I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! **_

_**So I apologize again for the delay in updates, and I also apologize that this chapter isn't very long... I just wanted to get as much done as I could and post. :)**_

_**Hope you enjoy... and continue reading... lol**_

14

Rogue stared at the wall with tired, glazed over eyes. With a slow blink, she looked at the glowing light of her alarm clock. Despite all her best efforts, she was still awake. And it was now 1:38 AM. Her mind was just too busy to allow her body any rest. She grumpily kicked off her blankets before rolling over to face the window. She watched the shilouette of the trees outside sway gently in the soft summer breeze and let out a sigh, rubbing a hand over her face.

She slowly began to feel the haze of sleep creep in around the edges of her vision as she stared out the window, letting the gentle movements of the trees outside lull her away from wakefulness. She closed her eyes in a long blink as her eyelids grew heavier, only to have something catch her eye and snap her completely out of her near sleeping state.

What looked like a slight whisp of fabric caught in the wind, right at the side of her patio window.

Fully awake now, she sat up and frowned, rubbing her eyes as she got up and moved over to the glass door to pull the blinds shut.

She stood frozen at the sight of the man on her balcony, his back to her as he leaned against the banister. If it had been anyone else, she would have screamed bloody murder before tossing him over the side.

Because it was _him_, she was just contemplating the tossing part.

She slid the door open and stepped outside, a chill running up her back the instant her bare foot hit the cool concrete.

"What are you doin'."

He glanced at her from over his shoulder before turning back. "Y' should lock that door. Pretty easy fo'predators t'get in."

She crossed her arms with an annoyed look as she waited expectantly for a real answer.

He looked back at her, turning around and leaning back on the banister with a non-chalante shrug. "Thinkin'."

Rogue squared her jaw and pursed her lips as she glared at him.

"Don't you give me dat look."

"You left. Again."

"Got a lot on my mind."

She huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry I left. I just needed some time t'process everything."

"You 'bout done?"

He cracked a tiny smirk at her snarky response and looked away. "Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. "So much fo' a _clean slate, _hein?"

She snorted in agreement, turning her attention to the swaying trees.

"I watched d'three a you tonight."

Her eyes snapped back to him.

"One big happy family." He shrugged with a small smile.

"Remy-"

"I think Joseph is d'better option here too chere." He frowned. "I ain' d'best role model fo'anyone."

After a moment of silence Rogue let out a breath. "The better option for who, Remy. Cause the way ah see it... you're just takin' the easy way out."

"You think dis is easy?"

"Not havin' t'change? Not bein' responsible? Yeah! Ah do!"

She could see him work the muscles in his jaw before hanging his head slightly "I wasn't prepaired fo'dis Rogue. I'm not ready."

"Like _ah_ had a choice?"

"It's different."

"No. It really isn't. Ah was nineteen Remy. Ah was alone... an' scared." She shook her head and looked away. "An' nobody asked me if ah thought ah'd be the best role model, or the best mother... or if ah was prepaired 'for this'."

Remy crossed his arms as he adjusted his position against the stone banister. "You didn't have t'be alone. Nobody made you leave Rogue."

Rogue turned around, sliding the glass door back open with a sigh. "Yeah well... nobody made _you_ leave either, Remy."

She slipped back inside, closed the door behind her and locked it.

"Wow, you look like crap."

Rogue set the box of Fruit Loops down on the counter and glared at Kurt.

"I mean, you look tired. Not like, actual crap. You know vhat I mean."

She grumbled under her breath, snatching the carton of milk away from him with a scowl.

Kitty sidled up next to her and cleared her throat, watching as Rogue poured the milk over her cereal. "Everything alright?"

"Course. Why would you ask?"

She glanced around cautiously before continuing. "I haven't seen Remy..."

Rogue shrugged as she shovelled spoon into the bowl of sugary O's.

"Where's Cole?"

"Ah let him sleep in." She stuffed some cereal in her mouth signalling to Kitty that she was finished talking.

Before Kitty had a chance to keep badgering, Sarah breezed in through the doorway with a frown.

"You guys wouldn't happened to have seen Remy recently... would you?"

Kitty glanced at Rogue before giving Sarah a shrug "Nope."

"He stood me up last night." She crossed her arms, her frown deepening slightly.

"Yeah, he'll do that." Rogue muttered as she munched on her cereal, averting her eyes to the newspaper next to her bowl.

"I didn't even see him at all yesterday. It's like he's avoiding me or something."

"I'm sure it's not that." Kitty gave her a tentative sympathetic smile. "I hate to be the one to tell you this... but I think Remy may have pulled one of his infamous disappearing acts."

Sarah raised an eyebrow and shook her head "What do you mean by that?"

Kitty let out a breath and her shoulders slumped. "He's gone."

"No he's not." Bobby said through a mouthful of Corn Pops.

Everyone's eyes turned to him and Kitty put a hand on her hip. "And what makes you think that?"

Bobby continued chewing, looking at her like she'd just asked the stupidest question ever. "Uhh... because he's standing right there."

He pointed his spoon towards the doorway behind them and shook his head. "Open your eyes woman."

Sarah's face lit up with a smile and she rolled her eyes. "There you are!"

Rogue sat up a bit more and gave Remy a polite nod when their eyes briefly met. Sarah stepped over to him, giving him a playful punch to the shoulder with a pout.

"You stood me up!"

"Desloe chere... I had t'take care of some things. Rain check?"

The pout melted off her face, transforming into a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course." she planted a peck on his lips and chuckled as she looked back at Kitty. "I knew he wouldn't just take off without saying goodbye."

Rogue snorted before realizing all three pairs of eyes had fallen on her.

"Something caught in my throat..." She forced a weak cough as she stood and dumped the remainder of her cereal into the sink.

Remy narrowed his eyes as he watched her move before clearing his throat "Y'look tired chere. Someone keep you up last night?"

She dropped the bowl into the sink with a loud _clank _and turned to give Remy a grin. "As a matter of fact yes. Although ah don't think mah dating life is any of your buisness."

Kitty's jaw dropped as she looked between the two of them. "Uhhh... So like, did you hear that Tom Cruise isn't crazy anymore? Go figure, right? I guess if you have enough money, you can pay the crazy away." She chuckled to Sarah who gave her a look of confusion. "You ask me, I say he's still nuts. Although his daugher's pretty cute. I don't like her name though... I think if I ever had a kid, I'd totally name her Beyonce."

Sarah shook her head. "What if it's a boy?"

"Usher." Kitty answered confidently. "But I totally plan on having a girl." she added with a shrug.

Rogue let out a breath as she cleaned up her mess in the sink, grateful for Kitty's sudden distraction. She reminded her of a rodeo clown, distracting the raging bull from the fallen rider.

Remy opened his mouth to comment, but before he had the chance he was almost knocked over by someone short wrapping their arms around his waist. He looked down to see Cole's big toothy grin.

"Hi! Where were you? I'm all better now!"

Remy ran his fingers through Cole's brown hair with a smile before lifting him up in his arms. "I'm very happy t'hear dat p'tite mec."

"Momma an' Joe are takin' me to see trains today!" He nodded towards Joseph who had followed him into the kitchen.

Remy looked up to Rogue who ignored him. "That's right." She smiled, looking to Kitty. "There's a little exhibition just outside of town. Joseph thought it'd be fun."

Cole's eyes lit up again as Remy put him down and he hopped in place. "Mamma, can Remy come too? Please?"

Rogue's eyes snapped over to Remy, her smile turned stale as she looked from him to Joseph. "Ummm..."

"It's fine with me." Joseph shrugged with a tight smile.

"Maybe some other time p'tite." Remy winked casually at Cole "You go have fun."

Rogue held out her hand and jerked her head towards the doorway. "C'mon Cole, let's go get ready."

"Okay." He took his Mom's hand and pulled her out of the kitchen as he asked Jospeh what kind of trains would be at the show.

"Awwwww." Sarah grinned, picking at a bowl of grapes that sat on the counter. "They're so cute! Like... a happy little family."

Remy stared at the empty doorway and let out a heavy breath before giving a small nod. "Yep." He pushed himself off the counter and mumbled something about forgetting to do something as he skulked out of the kitchen.

Sarah furrowed her brow "Wait... what?" She called out. She looked back at Bobby and Kitty.

"Sooo... Usher?" Bobby turned to Kitty, taking a bite of toast and scrunching up his nose. "Really?"

"I told you, I plan on having a girl..."


	15. Chapter 15

15

Remy watched as Cole bounded through the front door first, followed by Rogue and Joseph, hand in hand. He had a small model train in his little hands that he drove on an imaginary track through the air.

"Look what Joe bought me!" He stopped to show Logan who politely faked intrest in the plastic toy.

"It's so cool cause it's exactly like one a' the big ones that was there! An' I got to sit in it! An' blow the whistle! It was so cool..."

He watched Logan muss up Cole's brown hair as he sent him in the direction of the rec. room. He watched Rogue give Joseph a kiss before glancing at her watch. He watched as she explained that Cole was probably hungry, excusing herself to make up a snack. As she headed towards the kitchen, he followed.

She grabbed an apple from the fridge, washed it under the tap, pulled a large knife out of the drawer and began to slice.

"What do you want?" She asked without turning around to notice him standing in the doorway observing her.

He pushed himself off the doorjamb. "Uhh..." He stepped into the kitchen and rubbed the back of his neck with an embarassed chuckle. "How did y' know-"

"Oh please... y'don't think ah know when ah'm bein' stalked? You aren't the only one with keen senses Cajun. What do y'want?"

He moved over to her, leaning back against the counter next to her. "I wanted t'talk."

"Again? So soon? While ah must admit that ah'm shocked you actually stuck around this time... ah woulda thought you were all 'talked out' since last night."

Remy squared his jaw and lowered his voice "You didn'... tell anyone yet. Did you?"

She looked up at him for the first time and shook her head. "No."

"I think we should keep dis... quiet. For a while."

She put her free hand on her hip, still gripping the knife with her other hand. "You don't want me to tell Joseph."

"I don't want you t'tell anyone. But no..." He glanced at the knife. "I don't want you t'tell him."

"Why?" She blinked and shook her head. "Are you... ashamed?"

"Rogue." He cut her off. "I just don't..."

"Want the responsibilty. Right? You want to stick around... because y'like Cole an' all, but you don't want people to expect anything from you." She crossed her arms, still holding the knife. "Typical Remy. Just typical. Y'know... there was a part of me that was hopin'..."

She gestured with the knife as she spoke. "Ah shoulda known better. You taught me that lesson once already."

"Anna..."

She pointed the knife at him and narrowed her eyes. "You can't do this Remy. You can't pop in an' out of our lives. Cause one day, Cole _will_ know the truth. An' it won't matter what anyone else thinks or expects of you. It all comes down t'him."

He blinked at her, turning his attention to the knife she had pointed at him, inches from his nose. He moved his hands up, pulling the knife from her grip with one, and gently holding her hand with the other.

As he set the knife down out of her reach with a wink, he smiled "Dat's better."

She squared her jaw.

"What I was gunna say... was dat I just don't think it's any a'their business." He squeezed her hand. "I want t'tell Cole... but chere..." he shook his head. "Y'gotta give me some time. You had nine whole months to adjust."

She looked down and let out a breath. "Ah guess that makes sense."

"I just want t'make sure it's d'right thing t'do. Fo' everyone... but mostly Cole. Let's face it chere... I'm a screw up."

"Can't argue with that." She cracked a small grin.

"An' as for whether or not I'm ashamed a'you..." He lifted her chin with his finger and gave her a smooth smile. "I'm pretty sure dat'd be the other way 'round Anna. Non?"

She gave him a small smile and opened her mouth to respond when Kitty rounded the corner into the kitchen.

Rogue turned back to the counter, pulling her hand out of his to reach for the knife.

"What the hell?" Kitty whispered harshly. "You are so lucky it was me."

Sarah stopped in the kitchen doorway with a smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kitty shrugged. "Just waiting for you."

Sarah looked at Remy as she walked "I was on my way here to get the lemonade out of the fridge." she explained with a smile as she glided across the kitchen floor to the refridgerator. "Only to realize that I had no hands to carry the cups and ice!"

Remy smiled as Sarah set the pitcher of lemonade on the counter before swinging the freezer door open. "So I had to spin around and find someone to help me to save myself a trip. I was almost here too... If I'd known you two were here already, I would have saved myself a lot of trouble."

Kitty gave Remy a sharp look before chuckling along with Sarah "Oh well... I don't mind helping. I'm really good at carrying stuff."

"It's true, she is." Rogue nodded, dropping the knife into the sink as she turned around with her plate full of apple slices. "Her parents almost named her Camel."

Remy laughed, giving her a playful nudge towards the door.

"You two go ahead... I can help Sarah."

"Awww..." Sarah cooed with a grin, looking back at Rogue. "Isn't he such a gentleman?"

Kitty snorted and Rogue shoved her out through the doorway.

She opened her mouth to begin spewing out questions and Rogue shook her head. "Just shut up an' walk."

**XXXXX**

"What the hell was that?"

Remy furrowed his brow, his eyes closed beneath a pair of sunglasses pearched on his nose. With everyone all packed in the pool area, he'd taken to a secluded patch of grass to relax, hoping for some peace and quite.

So much for that.

"Yo'blockin' my sun p'tite."

"What's that about your son?"

He opened his eyes and shifted the sunglasses down to peer over the top. "What do y'want Kitty."

She flopped down next to him on the grass and leveled her gaze at him.

"You know what I want."

Remy sat up, crossing his arms over his bare chest with a grin. "Well... Pete's a good friend a'mine p'tite. I wouldn't feel right messin' 'round with his girl."

Kitty scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You wish. I want to _talk_."

He let out a breath and pushed the sunglasses back up, laying back down in the grass with his hands behind his head. "What else is new."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You think you can get rid of me with your snide comments? I'm not that easy to get rid of."

"So I've noticed. Dere ain' nothin' t'talk about."

"Rogue told me you don't want anyone to know. And I can understand that... for the time being."

Remy let out a breath and squeezed his eyes shut, silently hoping the simple act would be enough to make her stop talking.

"But that's not my issue..." Kitty raised an eyebrow. "You know what I'm talking about. You know what I saw."

"You saw nothin'. I was just assurin' Rogue dat I wasn't leavin' again. Dat's all."

Kitty furrowed her brow and shook her head. "What are you doing Gambit? First you guys are at eachothers throats and you disappear. Then you show up again like nothing happened and you're getting all like, intense in the _public_ kitchen."

"Sorry, next time I'll use the private one."

Kitty's eyes grew distant and she looked away. "Oh my gosh... I can't believe I totally did not see it!" She looked back at Gambit with a laugh. "You totally love her!"

"What?" Remy sat up and rolled his eyes. "I don't have time t'star in some fairytale you dreamed up Kitty. You been readin' too many o'dem werewolf books. Yo'minds all corrupt."

Her eyes widened and she gasped, pulling Remy back down as he tried to stand up. "Oh my God! You're right! This is totally... you are totally her Edward."

"I don't know what dat means." He sighed, becoming increasingly less patient the more she spoke.

"Edward! You are Edward!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. "I know I'll regret dis... but what d'hell are you talkin' about?"

"Edward and Bella... they were like, totally made for eachother. Except, he's like, a vampire and stuff? And she has blood that sings to him or whatever."

"Okay, I'm leaving."

"No!" Kitty clamped a hand around his wrist and pulled him back down. "Edward decides that he's no good for Bella and takes off. Enter Jacob... this totally hot werewolf. I mean, the wolf isn't hot, the human part is hot. I'm not into beastiality. That's gross."

Remy rubbed his forehead and Kitty shook her head.

"Sorry. Okay... so Jacob, the friend steps in, and tries to win her over. But he's just not the same. He's not Edward. They're like... Ken and Barbie. You can't mess with a love like that."

"Sounds like a profound piece of literature." He nodded as sincerely as he could. "But I don't love Rogue. Not like dat."

Kitty gave him a very unconvinced nod. "Sure you don't."

"An' besides... dis Jacob dude... was her friend. _I_ was her friend. Joseph left first an' den we hooked up. Sounds like y'got your fairytale backwards." He stood up with his t-shirt in hand and shrugged.

"...No!" Kitty stood up "I'm not wrong! Because Jacob ended up with their vampire human baby!"

Remy shook his head as he walked towards the mansion. "I'm not even gunna pretend dat made sense."

**XXXXX**

He pulled the t-shirt on over his head as he neared the mansion, grumbling to himself all along the way. Who did Kitty think she was anyway! Suddenly she was his therapist? Surely he could do better than Kitty in that area of expertise. Kitty's head was up in the clouds, life to her was however beautiful she wanted it to be. A fairytale where everyone lives happily ever after. No matter how dirty and cruel it was in reality. He admired that about Kitty, but it also made her the last person he'd want to take advice from.

For the most part.

He made his way inside, noting how deserted the pool had suddenly become. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he was instantly on alert. Was something wrong? Had they called a meeting while he was out on the lawn listening to Kitty ramble? As he walked, his eyes scanned constantly. He heard someone laughing from the rec room and instantly recognized it as Rogue's voice. He furrowed his brow and casually picked up his pace. He wasn't on alert anymore, just... curious. Alright, he was downright nosey. He rounded the corner expecting to see Rogue snuggled on the couch with Joseph. Instead he saw her leaning against the back couch on her forearms giving him a nice view of her-

"Hey Rems!" Sarah smiled and waved from the big arm chair. "Jean and Scott are back." She explained before turning her attention back to the newlyweds who were appropriately seated in the love seat.

He moved over to Sarah and sat on the arm of her chair with a smile. "Y'bring me anything?"

Jean laughed and nodded. "Of course."

"You veren't gone very long." Kurt leaned forward in the couch infront of Rogue, resting his elbows on his knees. "I thought you planned a whole veek."

"Ah bet they just missed us." She smiled and gave her brother a nudge. "Just couldn't stay away."

Scott let out a muted laugh and shook his head. "No. Believe me."

"I hope you packed a lot of punch in those four days." Sarah wagged her eyebrows. "If you know what I mean."

Logan looked back at her from the pool table as he took aim. "I'm pretty sure the _coffee table _knows what you mean."

"So, where's the most crazy place you did it?" Sarah grinned.

"Excuse me?" Jean said through a nervous chuckle.

"Come on... everyone's done it somewhere crazy before. And this was your honeymoon! Special occasion!" She pearched her chin on her fist and winked.

"She's got a point." Remy shrugged.

Scott shook his head with a frown. "That's kind of private."

"Of course it's not!" Sarah waved a hand in the air. "I'll go first. In the changing room at a JC Penny."

Jubilee's back straightened and she smiled proudly. "Movie theater bathroom."

"Back of a truck in a Dairy Queen parkin' lot."

Kurt grimaced as he turned to look at Rogue. "Zat vas not something I needed to know."

Remy cracked a wicked smirk as he looked at Rogue, their eyes met briefly before he looked down at Sarah, lowering his voice. "Logan's truck."

Rogue snorted and Logan stood upright, pool cue in hand. "What?"

He glared at Remy as the group laughed at his reaction. His eyes turned to Rogue who was clearly avoiding his gaze as she laughed, causing him to utter a low growl.

"You better be jokin' Cajun."

Remy offered him an innocent shrug before he turned back angrily to the pool table.

"What about you Logan?" Sarah called out with a big grin.

"Minnisota." He grumbled over his shoulder as he took his shot.

Sarah moved on, trying to badger Kurt into answering until Joseph rushed in through the doorway.

He excitedly spun Rogue around and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on her lips "Where's Cole?"

"Uhhh..." Rogue cleared her throat with a chuckle and shook her head to re-focus. "He's outside playin' basketball with Bobby. Why? What's goin' on?

"I have some amazing news." Joseph's grin grew as he looked over her shoulder to the group of on-lookers. "I got the job!"

Through a chorus of congratulations, Rogue furrowed her brow with a smile "What job?"

"It was like months ago... I applied for this really amazing job. Rehabilitating injured mutants, re-integrating them into society, helping them learn to control their powers... things like that. But I never heard anything back, so I just assumed it never went through."

Rogue laughed and gave him a tight hug "Joe! That's amazing!"

"See? I told you! The only thing is... it's on Muir Island."

Her smile fell slightly as she pulled back to look at him. "_The_ Muir Island?" She forced her smile to look as sincere as possible as she nodded. "That's great Joe. They have a top of the line facility... and it's really beautiful there."

"I'm glad you like it there..." He took her hand and gave it a squeeze, his eyes twinkling with excitment as he spoke. "Because I want you and Cole to come with me."

* * *

**_A/N - Thanks for the reviews and congratulations guys! And I feel the need to assure everyone that I did NOT name my child Beyonce. LOL_**

**_Also, please no haters on the Twilight mention in this chapter... pro Twilight or against. (Depending on whos side you take of course... Remy's or Kitty's. LOL) _**

**_And another thing... I believe I've mentioned before, but I still get the feeling that people think Joseph is an OC. He is not. He's actually in the comics, and there actually was a love triangle between Remy, Joseph and Rogue. (Also, Remy was a total pouty d-bag. Ask Starlight2Twilight (not named after the books.) She'll tell you.) Joseph was a de-aged Magneto clone. But alas, in this story I chose to leave that last bit out... because again... weird. LOL For those of you interested in that... check my profile for a link to the page all about him. Or google "Joseph and Rogue"  
I can't post links. LOL_**


	16. Chapter 16

16

Rogue stared at him blankly before her eyebrows slowly perked up. "You want what now?"

Joseph chuckled and kissed the back of her hand. "I want you and Cole to come. I'm allowed to put together a team to work with me. You'd be perfect Anna... you have your own experiences to draw from."

"Ah'm not exactly the academic type Joe." She smiled, looking back over her shoulder at the group of quiet on-lookers. "Excuse us for a sec." she guided Joseph out to the hallway.

"You're one of the smartest people I know. Besides..." He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and gave her a soft smile. "I don't want to leave you behind again."

"Ah don't know Joseph... ah just got back. Ah couldn't up an' leave everyone again. What about Kurt. An' Kitty..."

"My contract is only for a year, and you'd be free to leave at any point. And you could visit, whenever you want."

Rogue looked down and shook her head. "Joseph... it's not that simple..."

He pushed a white hair off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. "I know." He lifted her chin gently and furrowed his brow. "I know it hasn't been that long Anna. But I really think we have a chance to make it work this time."

She smiled "Just give me some time to think about it. Alright?"

"Of course. Take your time." He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "If you need me, I'll be down in the danger room."

XXXX

"He wants you to _what?_"

"Ah don't want to talk about it right now Kit." Rogue shook her head, glancing down the vacant hallway with her back against the wall.

"Well, you're gunna tell him no right?" Kitty shrugged and leaned against the wall across from Rogue. "I mean... right?"

"Ah don't know what ah'm gunna tell him yet." She sighed.

"You do realize that this is entirely unfair to..." Kitty pressed her lips together and shot out a breath. "_Me._ Right?"

Rogue blinked at Kitty for a moment before slowly raising a questioning eyebrow.

"You know, since _I_ just met Cole and everything. And _I_ love him like he was like... my own?"

She rolled her eyes and nodded "Ah know... ah understand... you can stop now."

"And not to mention the fact that I'm like, totally secretly in love with you."

Rogue's face twisted up as she stared at her friend before shaking her head. "Okay Kit, now it's just gettin' weird."

Before Kitty could push any further, the door next to Rogue opened and Cole stepped out with a big cheesy grin. Rogue moved away from the wall, running her hand through Cole's hair with a smile.

"How'd it go?" She looked from Cole up to Professor Xavier. "How's he doin'?"

"He's progressing." Xavier said with a slight nod, inviting Rogue into the office. She left Cole with Kitty and followed Professor X over to his desk. "We're focusing on learning techniques to control his emotions. I believe that once he has a  
better handle at that, it will become easier for him to control his power."

"Is there anything ah can do to help?"

"Continue to explain your emotions to Cole. It's hard enough for a grown adult to understand the full extent of their feelings, let alone a five year old boy." Xavier smiled "But you've been doing a fine job in this area so far, so I have no concerns with it."

Rogue gave him a distracted nod as she chewed her lower lip. "Professor, can ah ask you somethin'?"

His warm smile was all the answer she needed to continue.

"Joseph asked me t'go with him to Muir Island." She let out a breath and sat down in the chair at the Professors desk. "But ah came up here so that Cole could get help."

"That's not a question Rogue." he informed her with the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

"Ah wanna make sure that ah'm doin' what's right for Cole. Do you think he could get the same kind of... treatment... out there?"

"Well," Xavier leaned forward, resting his folded hands on the desk. "There is a possibility that he might actually get better _treatment _out there. They're rapidly expanding their staff, and learning new techniques every day for teaching mutants  
how to control their abilities. I don't think it would be a bad idea at all."

Rogue pursed her lips and nodded with a hum. "Okay. Thank you."

"Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that's what's best for him right now."

"So... you don't think we should go?"

"I didn't say that." He smiled. "I simply meant that this isn't just your decision to make. Perhaps you should ask Cole what he'd like to do?"

She nodded again as she stood and moved towards the door "Thanks Professor."

Rogue shut the door behind her and wandered down the hall, her mind racing to compile a list of pros and cons, bogged down with the stress of the situation. What she really needed was to punch something. Or a nice, stiff drink.

Where was Logan when you needed him?

"Hi Momma!"

His sweet playful voice dragged her out of her trance. She grinned at him as he came to a stop in front of her and looked up at Kitty. "Hi guys..."

Kitty's eyes were wide and urgent. "Oh my god Rogue, you need to go down to the danger room now."

"Why?"

Kitty cleared her throat and rolled her eyes "You probably don't want me to say why in front of your son."

Rogue stiffened slightly and she furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

"The way I heard it... Joseph needed a sparring partner. Wanna guess who graciously _offered_?"

"Momma... are you scared?"

"No." Rogue replied, keeping her eyes fixed on Kitty. "Not scared; anxious. Ah'm fine though." She finally looked down at him with a smile. "Ah just need t'go downstairs for a bit, alright? You stay up here with Kitty."

Cole nodded obediently and watched as Rogue disappeared down the hall.

xx

She walked as calmly as she could until she rounded the corner and out of Cole's line of sight before she picked up running. She punched the button for the elevator, a million thoughts flooding through her mind all at once. She hadn't spoken to Remy since that morning when Joseph asked her to move to another country with him, but she imagined he'd be less than pleased. To put it lightly. She saw a vivid mental image of Remy when he got really angry, which incidentally, wasn't all that often. But when it did happen...

She pushed the elevator button a few more times until the doors finally opened. She punched the button to take her down to the sub-basement, bouncing on her toes as she watched the numbers go down far too slowly for her liking. When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, she bolted out and down the hall running full tilt past Sarah and Jubilee. The danger room door opened with a _swoosh_ and she skidded to a stop inside.

Logan, Joseph and Remy all turned to look at her in unison.

"Geeze Stripes... Where's the fire?" Logan furrowed his brow with a smirk when she doubled over with a hand on her hip, sucking in a deep breath.

"Little outta shape, non?" Remy's smirk matched the one on Logan's face.

She silently held up a finger as she allowed her heart rate to settle slightly before standing upright and forcing a casual smile. "Hey guys, what's up?"

Joseph put an arm around her, his brow creased with concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yeah..." She shrugged and tossed a hand in the air, still breathing far too heavily to be deemed natural. "Ah'm cool."

"Really? You don't seem like you are." Joseph rubbed her back.

"It's been a while... that's all."

"Did you want to sit down or something?" Joseph motioned towards the seat at the control desk and she shook her head.

"No, ah'm fine." She glanced at Remy, her eyes settling on Logan who was still smirking. "So what's goin' on?"

"Nothin', just wrapping up a session." His smirk grew and he jerked his thumb towards the arena. "You could probably go for one too... work on your cardio."

"Oh blow it out your hole." She snapped, giving Logan a shot to the arm before glaring at Remy. "An' what are you laughin' at?"

He offered her an innocent shrug as he fought to hide his smile. "Nothin' chere." He turned his back on the two as he busied himself at the control panel.

With one more deep breath that finally brought her back to a regular breathing pace she looked at Joseph. "So you guys were just... y'know..." She held up her fists with a smile "Sparring?"

"Yep." Joseph grinned "Just the normal routine. I'm usually paired up with Summers, but I guess he and Jean are... busy."

She scrunched up her nose and shook her head with a small groan. "Ah... didn't need to... envision that."

Joseph laughed and shook his head. "Nobody does."

"That's good so... things went well? You're good? Y'know," She tossed her hand in the air "No internal bleeding or concussions, broken bones or anything?"

"What an odd thing t' ask Rogue." Remy said without turning to look at her. "Don't y'think yo'bein' a little paranoid?"

She stared at the back of his head for a moment "Yeah, I guess." She muttered, looking back to Joseph with a smile.

"Believe me, I can hold my own against Gambit." Joseph's arm tightened around her briefly as he offered her a wink.

"Anyways, I gotta go hit the showers." He kissed her temple before slipping out through the door.

The tension in the air was so palpable that you could almost touch it, and Rogue was actually shocked that Joseph hadn't seemed to notice at all...

"So uh, you an' Joe are pals now?"

"Pals." He laughed, still poking at the controls, back facing her. "Took everythin' in me not t'rip his pompous little head off."

Her shoulders slumped and she shook her head. "Ah don't know what t'do here Remy. They have really good programs out there, an' it might be good for Cole. An' it'd be nice t'have a job. One that ah might actually be really good at. You can't be mad at him for that."

He nodded. "Yes. I can."

She pursed her lips, staring at the back of his head silently before clearing her throat. "Ah don't like it when you're quiet like this."

"Don't know what y'want me t'say here Rogue."

"Remy."

No response.

"Remy..."

He looked at her from over his shoulder, his face completely void of any expression at all. This was even worse than his crazy angry face as far as she was concerned.

She pursed her lips as she stared at him, a frown slowly creeping into her expression. "We need t'talk about this. Cole is your boy, ah wanna know what you have t'say."

"You want me t'give you my blessing?" He leveled his stare, speaking with an eerie calm that sent a shiver up her spine. "Y'want me t'convince you t'stay? What do you want?"

"Ah don't know what ah want." she said with a small shrug. "Just say _somethin'_."

He let out a breath. "Yo' a hiporcite."

She put a hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"This is a completely different situation Remy. Ah'm not runnin' away from somethin'. Ah'm runnin' towards somethin'. So don't make me the bad guy here."

He stared at her silently for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "I didn't run away either. I had Belladonna, remember?"

She tensed up at the very mention of her name and shook her head. "It's different."

"How."

"Ah... care about Joseph. An' ah wanna be happy. Is that so wrong?"

He tipped his head to the side, his piercing stare staying completely steady. "_Does_ he make you happy?"

She squared her jaw and frowned "That's not what this is even about Remy."

"Answer d'question."

Her frown deepened into a scowl and she shook her head. "This is ridiculous. Ah don't have take this from you."

He punched a button on the control panel that prompted the doors to slide shut and click locked.

"Looks like y'do now." He cracked a small smile as he took a step towards her.

Rogue looked down and shook her head for a moment before letting out a breath. "He loves me Remy." She looked back up at him with a small smile and shrugged. "He's a good man. With a good heart... he loves Cole, an' he loves me. So yes. He makes me happy."

"But you don't love him." he took another step towards her.

"Ah told you, ah care about him."

"Dat ain't d'same Rogue." he took another slow step towards her.

"It's just a little soon for me t'say... that. That's all."

He crossed his arms. "You sure?"

"Gambit, stop." She said flatly. "This ain't about us, y'don't need to put on some big macho show... markin' your territory kinda crap."

"Please." He scoffed, taking another step towards her, effectively closing the gap between them. "You don't think Joseph was fluffin' his peacock feathers 'round everyone dis mornin'? Askin' you in front of everybody was no accident."

"Around everyone, or around you?"

His silent stare served as his answer. Finally he shook his head with a frown. "Dat ain't what I'm doin' Anna. I just want you t'make sure yo'thinkin' everything through. Don't leave with him just t'spite me."

"Ah wouldn't do that Remy." She pressed her lips together and knit her brow. "If ah do decide to go... you have t'know that's not why."

He put a hand on the wall next to her to lean against as he moved in a bit more. "You still don't see it Rogue." He cupped her jaw, running his thumb down to the dimple in her chin. "You an' Joe... just lukewarm."

"Maybe you're right Remy." She held his stare carefully as she spoke. "But it's stable. It's healthy an' normal. What we did... was far from any of that."

"Y'put dat man up on a pedestal too much chere." He said with the hint of a smile playing on his lips. "He ain't perfect."

"He's pretty close." She lifted her chin slightly.

Remy hummed thoughtfully as he leaned down to her ear. "Dat so?" He pulled his hand from her chin and placed it on her hip "Cause d'way I see it-"

He smoothed his hand up her hip to the skin just above the hem of her shirt, winding his hand around to her back. "-he needs t'man up a bit."

"Of course that's the way _you'd_ see it." She muttered, finding herself once again trying to keep her breathing at a normal rate. "Ah never understood why you disliked him so much."

He took his hand off the wall and gently slid it to the nape of her neck, moving his mouth to hover over hers. "Thought it'd be pretty obvious by now."

"Ah'm not doin' this Remy." she turned her head slightly and closed her eyes. "You think you can just charm everyone into gettin' your own way."

"Dat's not d'case Anna. I just know-" He brushed his lips along her jawline, stopping at her ear. "-Yo'weakness."

Her breath caught in her throat as he whispered and she swallowed hard to regain her composure. "Open the door Remy."

His hand slid from her back to her side, slowly inching it upwards in the process. "You sure?" He murmured before gently kissing her neck below her ear.

"Yes." She sighed, tipping her head to give him better access to her neck. "Ah'm sure."

"Okay." He pulled away slightly and moved back to linger just above her mouth.

"I'll go open the door." He whispered before tentatively closing the tiny space between their lips. Rogue hesitated momentarily before running her hands up his chest, along the tough leather of his uniform until she reached his neck, pulling his head in even closer.  
Remy let his hands wander earnestly around the skin on her lower back as she arched it, pressing her body firmly against his. A small groan escaped his throat and he began following her lead, stepping backwards as she guided.

Rogue shoved him firmly against the bulletproof glass window next to the control panel as she raked her fingers through his hair. She lifted a leg and hooked it on his hip, pulling herself up his body and wrapping her legs around his torso. He groaned her name as she tipped her head back, letting him hungrily move down her throat and smooth his hands up her milky white legs to her thighs, around her hips to her backside.

"Don't forget, Remy..." She breathed into his ear before nipping earlobe, eliciting another deep moan from him. She leaned farther to the side away from his ear, freeing one hand from his hair to reach down to the control panel and punch a button.

The doors clicked unlocked and she unraveled herself from his body, placing her feet back on the ground. "Ah know your weakness too."

He blinked at her, watching as she spun around and moved towards the doors.

"You may wanna make _your_ shower cold." she suggested without turning around, the doors slid open to allow her to leave and then promptly slid back shut.

He stood dumbfounded, staring at the closed automatic doors for a long moment before finally knitting his brow and giving his head a shake.

"Shit."

xx

Rogue stopped once the door closed behind her and let out a deep breath, taking a moment to get herself put back together. She smoothed her hands down her shirt and fluffed her hair before starting down the hall.

"Is everythig alright?"

She spun around, finding herself face to face with Sarah.

"Huh? Oh! The running before..." Rogue chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, everything's..." she let the sentence hang as she continued to nod.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little flushed." Sarah motioned towards her cheeks as she frowned.

"Yeah!" Rogue continued to nod. "Just uh, workin' on my cardio." She cleared her throat and jerked her head towards the elevator down the hall. "Well, ah gotta go... see ya!"

"See ya." Sarah called after her as Rogue spun around and started down the hall. She stopped at the elevator and pushed the button a few times before the doors opened and she stepped in.

Once they closed behind her, she finally let out the breath she'd been holding.

That was just too damn close...

* * *

**_A/N- First, I need to address my darling friend Starlight2Twilight (no association with the books. lol) who pointed out to me that I had been plaigerising our private conversations! So to you S2T, I grant you 30% of my profits. (What's 30% of 0? I think it's like 3 cents or something...) :)_**

**_That being said, I want to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews! I mean it you guys... some of you actually give me ideas, and make me THINK about what I'm writing... I know! AMAZING! lol_**

**_ALLREMS- That hypocrite line was in there for you ;) (Not because you're a hypocrite, but because of your review. LOL)_**

**_Hawaiichick - Yes. I'm TOTALLY sure he's done it in a much crazier place than that. But a) he likes to bug Logan. (But I ask you, who wouldn't? LOL) and b) interesting how Rogue's involved a truck too... hmmm? :D_**

**_Sparklesinthesun - I JUST finished writing this chapter when I got your review! And what an amazing review it was! I love it when people can remove themselves from the fact that they adore Romy and view the situation and the characters as they are. I'm not saying anything bad about Romy at ALL, but sometimes... they can act like morons. Hahaha... and I'm glad you like Cole! He likes you too. (OMG, also! I'm soooo happy you were shocked by who the baby daddy was. LOLOLOLOL!)_**

**__****Also, I'll be going on "vacation" in a week (I say "vacation" because my little family will be staying with the in-laws for a month... so if you can consider that a "vacation"... lol) so I may not have as much time to write as I'd like. But rest assured, I will do what I can. :)**

**_Looking forward to your reviews! _**

**_KC_**


	17. Chapter 17

17

She'd been around the block a few times, and suffice it to say that she was no idiot. She knew when she was being used, when some bastard treated her like she was just some old sock. There was a difference between having an understanding with someone, that their relationship was strictly of the sexual nature and that nothing would come of it, and being a body utilized for the release of ones sexual frustration brought on by someone unattainable.

She had started out as the former, and wound up as the latter.

And that just simply wouldn't do.

She came to a stop in the rec. room doorway, her eyes instantly drawn to him. Sitting on the loveseat, reading a book.

So now it was time for a little payback.

She sat down in the big arm chair across from him, a grin dancing across her lips when he looked up.

"Hey Joe."

"Hi Sarah... what's up?"

"Oh, not much." She leaned back in the chair, drumming her fingers on the arm rests as she spoke. She'd noticed the change in him as soon as _she_showed up, but it wasn't until the kids little accident that he started acting far too strange for her liking. "Whatcha readin'?"

Joseph glanced down at his book and shrugged "It's just a biography I found in the library. I'm waiting for Cole and Anna to finish up with Professor Xavier."

Ahhh the meetings. The secret meetings that no one quite understood. The ones that began right after the 'incident' that had Remy acting spooked. She noticed these too.

"Is it good?" She asked innocently, causing Joe to cock his head with a grin as he squinted his eyes.

"What's up Sarah?"

She let out a deep breath and put on a frown. "Do you think you're a good judge of character?"

"Well," He leaned back in his seat and set the book down next to him. "I'd like to think so."

She noticed them bickering when no one else seemed to pay attention, she noticed the tension between them when Remy took off inexplicably, she saw how people wrote it off as either one of them being temperamental, but she wasn't buying it.

"You don't like Remy." Sarah bit her lower lip before continuing. "Is he a... bad character?"

Her first real red flag came when she'd walked in on them in the kitchen, sharing a tender moment as they discussed Rogue's son. She saw the look in his eye... the way he was with Rogue, it wasn't just mere flirtation or playful banter. She'd hurried back outside, making some lame excuse as to how she needed help so that _she_wasn't the one interrupting their Hallmark moment.

Joseph chuckled. "I'll let you be the judge on that one. Besides, I don't think you should be having this conversation with-"

"I don't owe him anything." Her stare turned hard. She felt the way he tensed up when Joseph had asked Rogue to go with him to Muir Island. And she casually mentioned to Kitty that Remy had offered to be Joseph's sparring partner in lieu of Summers, suspecting that the girl knew more than she let on. Her suspicions had been confirmed when Rogue practically flew by her on her way to the danger room.

Sarah lifted her chin slightly and narrowed her eyes. "You don't like him. Why?"

"It goes way back Sarah..." He ran a hand through his silver hair and chuckled. "It's pretty stupid actually."

She lifted her eyebrows expectantly prompting Joseph to suck in a breath and rub his hands together.

"Anna was my girlfriend, Gambit was her best friend, and he liked to try to make me jealous. He got some kind of sick amusement out of it."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and folding her hands together. "That's it?"

"Yeah, I told you it was-"

"You're sure?"

He'd come to her room, just as she presumed he would, all hot and bothered and ready to go. And she gave him a lame excuse about feeling ill, suggesting that he take a cold shower instead. Sure, she could have told him off right then and there, but that wasn't her style. Besides, this would be much, MUCH more fun in the long run.

Joseph furrowed his brow and stared at her. "What do you mean?"

She pressed her lips together and tipped her head to the side thoughtfully. "Do you know when Cole's birthday is?"

**XXXX**

Remy knocked on the door and leaned against the wall as he waited for a response. It was more of a courtesy than anything else, he didn't expect her to be there. Nor did he expect she wanted to see him. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes sweeping the empty hall to ensure it was all clear before proceeding to pick the lock. Within seconds he had the door open and was gingerly shutting it behind him as he scanned her room. He'd noticed them there when she was still in the unpacking process but hadn't paid any mind to them at the time. But now, as the possibility of her taking his sole family member away loomed in the near future, he felt like he needed to seize the opportunity while he still could. He moved over to her bed and knelt down, lifting the skirt out of the way. Success. Two photo albums stacked up under the bed and a shoe box labeled 'pictures'.

He pulled all three items out of their home and sat back, leaning against the bed as he glanced at the clock on her night stand. He should have plenty of time to peruse before she returned.

With a deep breath, he cracked open the first album, a smile naturally sprawling across his lips as soon as his eyes were exposed to the first page. A series of images of a wrinkly, puffy-eyed newborn baby were arranged on the page with 'Happy Birthday Cole!' written neatly along the top.

A sudden swell of regret and sadness created an ache in his chest. If only he'd stayed like she'd asked him to. If only he hadn't been such a stubborn cowardly prick...

He turned the page, his eyes falling on a picture of a tired looking Rogue holding her new little bundle. The joy bursting through her worn out appearance, making her green eyes sparkle. He could only imagine how scared she must have been. And how proud she was when she first laid eyes on him. And what it must have felt like to hold him in her arms for the first time, and look at his tiny little wrinkled face with nothing but pure, unconditional love.

There would never be a picture of him holding that sweet little bundle with that same look of joy and awe that was all over Rogue's face, in the single picture she shared with her son at this young age.

Before he knew what was happening, he heard the tumbler in the lock roll back and the door swing open. His head snapped up and he clamped the album shut, staring up at her from his place against her bed on the floor.

She blinked at him with a look of shock, slowly knitting her brow as she glanced down to the item in his hand.

"What are you doin'?" Rogue's eyes moved over to the second album and shoebox sitting next to him before falling back on him as he stammered for a pithy response.

She crossed her arms and shook her head. "You coulda just asked." She offered him a forgiving smirk, stepping into her room and closing the door behind her.

Rogue plunked down on the floor next to him, picked up the second album and began leafing through it. "How far did ya get?"

Remy looked over at her, then up at the clock with a frown, realizing he'd just spent a half an hour staring at the first two pages. "I'm done." He set the album down next to him and stood up.

"Sorry about... breakin' in."

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Please, everyone knows that locks are just a formality with you around."

His smile fell short of reaching his eyes and he rubbed the back of his neck. He wanted to say more, but he couldn't quite find the words. _Sorry_ didn't quite seem to be enough to express how he was feeling. So instead he headed for the door, stopping with his hand on the doorknob when Rogue cleared her throat.

"Did you want one?"

Remy shook his head without looking back at her. "No."

He pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway, closing it up behind him. He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and started down the hall, rounding the corner and walking smack dab into Joseph.

Remy jerked back and muttered an apology before continuing on his way, ignoring the befuddled look on Joseph's face.

Lord only knew what his problem was this time. The stick he had up his ass was probably starting to chafe.

**XXXX**

Not a minute after Remy left, there was a knock on her door. She smiled, still seated on the ground by her bed, keeping her eyes fixed on the pictures in her album.

"You change your mind?" she called out, looking up only when the door opened a bit. "Joseph?" She stood up and knit her brow as she searched his face. "What's up?"

"I think we need to talk, Anna."

"Sure." She motioned for him to come in, and he closed the door behind him, rubbing the back of his neck with a frown.

"When was Cole born?"

Rogue smiled and crossed her arms. "His birthday's not for a while. You ain't thinkin' of gettin' him somethin' already are-"

"No." He stopped her mid-sentence, causing her smile to waver slightly. He let out a breath and stared at her before carefully continuing. "How long after I left was he born."

Her smile slowly disappeared and she looked down. "Um... about 11 months."

"How long after I left... did you leave?"

Rogue knit her brow and shook her head. "Joe..."

"Please, just answer."

She let out a breath and shrugged. "I don't know... 3 months or something."

He nodded slowly and looked away. "You didn't leave, and _then_ get pregnant."

"Ah was pregnant when ah left." she said softly.

He continued to nod before shooting out a breath and shaking his head, turning his attention back to her. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Eventually she just shrugged and looked down. "At first... ah didn't know how to tell _anyone_."

"So... who's Cole's Father?"

She silently looked back up at him and pursed her lips. Her silence was enough of an answer to make him chuckle and shake his head.

"Son of a bitch. I knew he was just chomping at the bit, waiting for me to be out of the picture. I _knew_ it." He ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. "So what did he do, wait for me to leave and then pounce? Take advantage of you and then just... leave?"

"Joseph, it wasn't like that." She frowned.

"So what was it like then? You wait what... 10 minutes after I'm gone before jumping into bed with _him_?" His expression grew serious and he knit his brow. "I _was_ gone before you..."

"Yes." She stepped towards him. "Joseph, of course. Ah would never..." She trailed off and let out a breath. "Look, ah was young, an' upset, an' wreckless, an' he left before ah even knew about Cole. Ah know you must think ah'm an idiot."

"No." He moved over to her and wrapped an arm around her gently. "I could never think you were an idiot. Stupid, maybe. But not an idiot."

She laughed, resting her head in the crook of his neck and let out a breath. "Ah'm sorry you had to find out like this. Ah wanted to tell you but Remy asked me to wait." She tipped her head back to look up at him and frowned. "You're alright with this... right? Ah mean, Ah'd understand completely if this was too much Joe."

Joseph sighed and shook his head. "I think I just need a bit to process everything."

"Ah understand." She kissed his jaw.

"I mean, we can make it work. If that's what you want. But..." He shook his head again and frowned. "Him of all people..."

Rogue laughed and tightened her hug playfully. "He grows on you after a while."

"Like a parasite." He added with a smirk.

* * *

_**A/N- It's a little shorter than I wanted, but I figured it was better than nothing. (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID.)**_

_**Thanks for the reviews! More too come soon... hopefully! :)  
**_


	18. Chapter 18

18

Remy watched as Joseph walked in the rec. room, before turning his attention back to the yellow ball on the pool table and making his shot. The bewildered look on Joe's face was gone, but the way he tensed up slightly as their eyes met momentarily was certainly not lost on him.

"Geeze." Logan chuckled after Remy took his shot and missed, glancing back to Joseph. "What did ya do to _him_?"

Obviously it wasn't lost on Logan either. Remy stood up and leaned on his pool cue with a frown, keeping his eyes fixed on the green felt table. "Don't know what yo'talkin' 'bout."

Logan took aim with a snort. "Sure ya don't. He got his back up as soon as he spotted you."

"How's dat different from any other time?" Remy smirked, his eyes following the white ball as it sped across the table, cracking into it's target which disappeared into the corner pocket.

"Well," He moved around the table and studied his options. "Ya must've done somethin'."

Remy rolled his eyes before turning them back to Joe. A slow malicious grin spread across his lips as he thought of what he could have possibly done to upset him. "Maybe I should ask 'im, hein?"

Before Logan could voice his opinion on the matter, Remy's grin grew and he called out his name.

"You alright, mon ami? Y'look a little distraught."

Joseph looked up and blinked at him before giving a single nod. "I'm fine, thanks."

"Ya sure? Because Wolvie here seems t'think dat I did somethin' t'piss you off." Remy glanced at Logan who was now frowning deeply at him. "I'd hate t'be blamed fo'somethin' I didn't do."

Joseph shook his head and looked away "Can't think of anything off the top of my head. But I'm sure I can come up with something by the end of the day."

Remy chuckled and shook his head at Logan. "See dat Wolvie? It's nothin'!" He looked back at Joseph and shrugged. "I told him you were just with Rogue. If anyone pissed y'off, it'd have t'be her, non? But den... what could Rogue have said dat'd upset you?"

"Gumbo..."

"No, no... I wanna hear dis." Remy held up his hand to Logan and smiled at Joseph when he turned to face him again. "She's perfect, non? Don't see _what_she could've possibly done."

Joseph shrugged silently. Remy held his stare as he tipped his head to the side with a thoughtful nod. "Or maybe I should've said... _who_."

Remy gave Joseph a self-satisfied smirk when a flash of anger crossed his expression.

Logan sighed and set his pool cue down. "That's enough."

"Don't know why it was so difficult for you... teach her how t'touch an' den chicken out before sealin' d'deal." Joseph worked the muscles in his jaw as Remy spoke, which served to spur him on. "Wasn' dat difficult." He grinned and lowered his voice a notch. "She was pretty easy actually..."

Joseph balled up his hands and lunged towards him with his elbow drawn back and his aim set on Remy's jaw. He ducked away before Joe's fist met his face and chuckled. "Awww yo'just sour cause you didn' get in her pants first. Don't take it out on-"

Joe's fist cracked against Remy's cheek bone, cutting him off before he had a chance to finish his sentence and effectively removing the stupid grin from his face. Without missing a beat, Remy took a swing at Joseph, missing only due to the fact that Logan had grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt.

"I _said _that's enough!" He growled.

"What the Sam Hill is goin' on?"

Remy reefed his shirt out of Logan's clutch with a scowl as Rogue stared him down, with a wide-eyed little boy holding her hand.

"Y'need t'keep a shorter leash on yo'man, chere."

Rogue squared her jaw as she visibly tried to calm herself down. "Cole, go to your room."

He turned to look up at her, his little brow puckered with silent anxiety. "Momma?"

She took another calming breath and without returning his look, pointed down the hall. "Go."

She watched as he scurried off before moving over to Joseph to inspect the damage done to his hand. "Shit Joe..."

Joseph knit his brow and sighed. "I'm sorry Anna, I lost my cool-"

"Sorry _Anna_?" Remy snorted and shook his head. "Yo' a real piece a'work. _Joe_."

Her head snapped up and she glared at him dangerously before stepping towards him and jabbing a finger into his chest, backing him up until he bumped into the wall. "An' you're a piece a'somethin' else, Cajun."

"C'mon Anna... I was jus' playin'. Ain' my fault d'jerk can't take a joke."

"Don't piss on my foot an' tell me it's rainin', Swamp Rat. Ah'm sure you deserved _more _than what you got." She seethed.

"Anna-"

"Ah've heard enough outta you." She shook her head and narrowed her eyes with a deep set frown. "Jesus, Remy. Grow up." She took Joseph by the hand and pulled him along with her, leaving the rec. room awkwardly silent.

Kurt scratched his head and looked at the other three by-standers caught up in the storm. "Vhat ze heck just happened?"

Bobby and Jubilee shrugged, turning back to Remy when he finally moved. He gave Logan a frown as he tenderly touched the skin on his cheekbone that had begun to swell.

"Thanks for d'help."

"You deserved it. Besides..." Logan shoved him back against the wall again with a growl. "Yer lucky I didn't beat you down myself."

He turned to the three and waved them off. "Nothin' more t'see here."

Sarah stuck out her lower lip and moved towards Remy, her brow creased with concern. "Poor baby!" She touched the slowly-turning-purple skin next to his eye and nodded thoughtfully.  
"You should get some ice on that."

"It's fine." Remy grumbled.

Bobby stepped forward. "Actually, ice will stop the swelling and numb any pain. She's right, you-"

"I said it's fine!" He snapped, pulling away from Sarah and storming out of the room.

Sarah offered Bobby a shrug with the hint of a smile playing on her ruby lips. "He'll regret it tomorrow..."  
**  
XXXX**

Rogue raked her hand through her hair, stuffing it behind her ear as she frowned. "This is gunna hurt."

Joseph winced when she dabbed the antiseptic drenched cotton swab on his split knuckles, trying to hide the pain through a forced smile. "Nah, it's fine."

Her frown deepened as she ignored him, gently dabbing at the fresh wound.

"Anna, I'm sorry... I-"

"Ah know." She stopped him mid-sentence, keeping her eyes fixed on his hand. "It's not your fault." She moved over to the freezer and pulled out a fresh bag of frozen peas, setting it gently over his raw knuckles. "An' for the record, ah'm not _easy_."

Joseph pursed his lips, realizing she'd heard the majority of their 'conversation' and was well aware of the fact that he was provoked. She leaned against the counter, silently staring at the package of peas that served to numb the pain in his throbbing hand.

"Ah just don't know what t'do here Joe." She sighed eventually. "Ah feel like ah'm stuck between a rock an' a hard place."

He remained silent, waiting for her to continue. Instead, she scrubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Ah'm gunna go make sure Cole's alright."

She let out another deep breath and exited the kitchen, taking the long way through the halls up to her sons bedroom, just to avoid running into anyone who would expect an explanation regarding the fight that had undoubtedly reached everyone in the manor by now. Any type of gossip spread like wild fire, and the juicy kind spread even quicker.

She tapped on Cole's door before turning the knob and poking her head in the doorway. "Coley?"

He sat in the middle of the floor playing with his train set, looking up to her at the sound of her voice.

"You alright hon?"

He nodded silently.

"Everything's okay now baby, you can come out if you want."

He looked back to his trains and shook his head.

"Alright." Rogue chewed her lip and knit her brow. "Did you want me t'leave the door open for you?"

He shook his head again, keeping his attention focused on the little red caboose he was fixing onto the rest of the train.

"Okay." She pulled herself out of the room and shut the door quietly behind her, resting her forehead on the cool wood. The good Lord had given her the gift of a raging temper, but she hated displaying it in front of her emotionally sensitive son. She reassured herself that he'd be fine in a few hours, just like he always was, before spinning around and heading back to the kitchen.

She barely made it to the end of the hall when a blue, furry hand rested on her shoulder.

"Rogue?"

"Oh, hey Kurt." She put on a smile. "What's up?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Just..." She let out a deep breath, allowing the smile to drop off her face. "A lot on mah mind ah guess."

"Zat fight... it vas about you, right?"

She pressed her lips together in a thin line and studied his face for a moment before narrowing her eyes. "Kitty told you."

He shrugged sheepishly and offered her a smile. "Yeah. A few days ago."

Rogue rolled her eyes and continued down the hall with Kurt by her side. "Of course."

"So vhat are you going to do?"

"Ah don't know Kurt."

"Vell... vhat does Gambit think?"

"Does he ever really _think_?"

Kurt chuckled and Rogue shook her head. "Of course he wants us t'stay. Ah just don't know exactly why. Sometimes ah think that this is all just a game t'him. An' if ah go... he loses. Y'know?" She looked over at her brother and knit her brow. "What do you think ah should do?"

"Vell, obviously I don't vhant you to go." He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "But I think you should do vhat makes you happy. It's not like you'll disappear for half a decade or anything, right?"

Rogue pressed her lips together in a tight smile and gave him a sidelong glance. "Alright... ah deserve that."

"Look," He came to a stop and turned to face her, prompting her to do the same. "You know vhat is best for both you, and Cole. Ve vould all love for you to stay, but you've never done things to make everyone else happy before, vhy should you start now? And like I said, if you do decide to go, you von't be disappearing like you did before. You'll visit. And ve'll be here vhen you decide to come back."

She gave him a grateful smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you Kurt."

"Zat's vhat I'm here for." He patted her back and pulled away to return her smile. "Just... don't forget zat ve're here. Again."

She laughed and shoved him away playfully. "Yeah thanks. Ah'll try to remember this time."  
**  
XXXX**

The day continued along the same downward spiral, including dinner. Rogue had tried to coerce Cole out of his room, but he still showed no sign of his normal self. And Remy was off pouting on his own, no doubt nursing the wounds he'd acquired that morning. With the two boys off secluded on their own, she couldn't help but notice the glaring similarities in their personalities. The difference was that Cole was five, and Remy should know better.

So with nothing else to do, she'd volunteered to clean up the mess in the kitchen, left by a very well meaning Jean Grey who had cooked a barely edible meatloaf for everyone. And the silence was a welcomed change. Now that everyone knew of 'the big fight', the questions were non stop. She of course, would plead the fifth and tell whomever was interrogating her to mind their business. But that in itself was becoming increasingly tiresome. And now, with nothing but the soft whirring sound of the dishwasher to keep her company as she wiped down the counters, she allowed herself the time to think. Joseph had begun packing up his room, and although he never said anything to her on the subject, she was really starting to feel the pressure to make up her mind. He was due to leave at the end of the week, and Cole had had his potentially last meeting with Professor Xavier earlier that day. With the Professor being called off to Muir Island himself, Cole would be going these last few days meeting-free.

That is, if she decided to go.

And Remy's little scene earlier sure as hell didn't help his cause. She'd all but made her mind up on the matter, but there was just something holding her back from committing to her final decision. Something that seemed to erase the urgency of the whole situation and made her want to think twice. And she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"Need a hand?"

Rogue sighed inwardly at the sound of the familiar voice behind her and shook her head.

"No thanks Sarah, ah'm just finishing up."

The leggy blonde moved across the kitchen and leaned against the counter as Rogue continued to wipe it down needlessly.

"Busy day."

Rogue let out a soft laugh and nodded. So much for being alone. "Yeah, you could say that."

"I bet it makes you just want to pack it all in and head for the hills."

Rogue furrowed her brow and glanced over to Sarah. "Not exactly."

"I know it must be a tough decision to make Rogue." She nodded thoughtfully. "To have two men fighting over you like that? It must be rough."

"No one was fightin' over-"

"I mean, on the one hand... Joseph. Tall, gorgeous, all around nice guy. On the other... Remy. the smoldering, sexy bad boy. Tough break."

Rouge shook her head and put a hand on her hip. "That's not-"

"I mean sure... with Joseph, you have security. But with Remy..." She wagged her eyebrows.

"Sarah... you got it all wrong."

"Oh, do I?" She asked innocently. "Because I was the understanding that you an' Joe were just... what's the word..." She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "Lukewarm?"

Rogue froze. Her eyes fixed on Sarah's studying her, before she shook her head slowly. "Ah don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do."

Rogue crossed her arms and stared at Sarah. "Please. Ah don't have time for this garbage."

"And unless you want _Joseph_ knowing what I'm talking about, you'll do exactly what I tell you to do." Sarah smiled. "You and I both know there's only so much shit a nice guy can take... and I'm sure that finding out you and Remy are screwing around behind his back would absolutely crush him."

"Sarah, we're not-"

"Save it." She snapped. "I can't understand what all the fuss is about." She tipped her head to the side and gave Rogue a once over. "But for _some_ reason, you got two men practically salivating over you."

Rogue rolled her eyes and stuck her hip out with a frown. "Y'just gunna insult me, or are you gunna get to the damn point?"

Sarah crossed her arms and stared at Rogue silently for a moment before shaking her head. "Go."

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to go with Joseph. Because if you stay here... that goddamn Cajun is just going to be pining after you like a little puppy dog, and I'm tired of being a substitute."

Rogue furrowed her brow and blinked a few times before sucking in a breath. "So then why don't _you_ leave?"

"I'm an X-man, remember? I'm actually a required member of the team... not just some free loader with a kid." After a moment, Sarah smiled as if they were best friends and shrugged. "Well, I'll see ya later!" And off she went, gliding back out of the kitchen and down the hall, leaving Rogue in stunned silence.

It seems that her mind had just been made up for her.

* * *

**_A/N- Heeey... so another chapter up quick because I felt bad due to the uber lameness of the last chapter. (The whole first part of this one was meant to be at the end of the last one... but I ran out of time.)_**

**_Anyways, thanks for the reviews! I know you all hate Sarah now... and that's fine. She hates you all too. LOL! _**

**_(Dear Ken, thank you for Disco-ing with me late into the night. I love the night life. I love to boogie. xoxo Barbie.)_**

**_Keep those reviews coming! I love them so much! They make my heart swell with happiness! Either that, or I have a serious condition that should be discussed with a doctor._**

**_;) KC_**


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N- I apologize for the later-than-desired update. It's been sooo busy around here! Hope you enjoy!**_

19

Remy sat in the moonlit kitchen, perched on one of the bar stools at the center island as he absently twirled the bottle cap from his freshly opened beer along the back of his knuckles. His cheek stung with every drink he took, but he was sure that wouldn't last long. Once the alcohol started to take effect, he'd stop feeling it. He took a swill of beer before plunking his elbow down on the counter top, and dropping his chin onto his fist. He'd managed to avoid everyone since his outburst, effectively avoiding being asked to explain himself. He wasn't one for addressing his feelings, and certainly not in public as part of an explanation. He set down the bottle cap and took another drink.

Of course he'd deserved what he got. Joseph was a nice guy, but nice only takes you so far when you're being provoked. But the opportunity just presented itself so perfectly that he just couldn't resist.

Remy took another drink and sighed.

He was mad, and he seized the opportunity to take it out on Joseph. After all... Joe was the reason he was so upset, right?

His eyes moved to the doorway a second before she appeared there. He saw her stop when she noticed him, knitting her brow as she debated her next move. And he'd be lying if he said he didn't brace himself for an attack.

Instead, she crossed the kitchen and sat down across from him, folding her hands on the counter.

"Can't sleep?"

He grunted in response and took another drink.

"What about you?" He set the beer down and gave her a smirk. "Joe keepin' you up?"

She ignored his comment and shook her head, watching as she knit her brow again, fixing her gaze on her hands.

"Me neither."

After a moment Rogue reached over, sliding the beer across the counter towards herself to take a swig. She looked up at him finally and gave him a nod.

"How's your face?"

Remy studied her for a moment, and after deciding that he didn't sense any sarcasm in her question, he shrugged. "Been better."

A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth as she reached forward, beer bottle in hand, pressing the cool glass against his deep purple wound. "You deserved it y'know."

He nodded silently and gave her another shrug. "Yeah."

"What is your problem? Why do y'do that?"

Remy stared at her. Two very loaded questions. Instead of giving them any thought, he shook his head and sighed. "Don't know."

She pursed her lips and let out a breath. "You don't know."

He put his hand over the one she had holding the bottle up to his cheek bone and pulled it down, removing her hand from the bottle before taking another drink.

"Remy..."

"Look, I know it was wrong. I'm sorry. Y'want me to apologize to Joseph, I will. But I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." She said quietly.

He narrowed his eyes in response to her meek reply and stared at her again. There was something she wasn't telling him, and he knew it. "Why can't you sleep?"

She gave him a half smile and a nonchalant shrug. "No reason."

He held her stare until she moved to get up, when he quickly reached out to grab her hand. She stopped, fixing her gaze on their hands before lifting it to meet his.

"Is Cole alright?"

"Ah'm sure he'll be fine. When things get rough, he likes to disappear." She gave him a knowing eyebrow raise, causing him to crack a smile in spite of himself.

He offered her an innocent shrug. "Guess it's just in his genes."

After a moment, his expression grew serious and he let go of her hand. "Did you tell him yet?"

"Did ah tell him what?"

"Dat he's movin' to Muir Island." He took another drink as Rogue stared at him with her mouth slightly agape.

She shook her head and knit her brow. "What... are you-"

"Dat's why you can't sleep, non?"

She sat down hard on the bar stool and continued to stare at him. Eventually she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward slightly. "Were you eavesdroppin' on me an' Joseph?"

"God no." He grimaced and shook his head. "What you an' Joe were doin' is d'last thing I'd wanna hear."

Rogue gave him a warning look and frowned. "Remy..."

He rolled his eyes and took another drink before turning back to her with a shrug. "I told you, I know you better den anyone."

She let out a breath and shook her head. "No. Ah'm tellin' him first thing in the mornin'."

Remy looked away and worked the muscles in his jaw. His chest ached again, and now there was the more familiar feeling of anger brewing in the pit of his stomach. Of course he'd known it was a good possibility, but he'd held onto a shred of hope that she'd stay here. With him. He suddenly felt the urge to open up to her. To beg her to stay and tell her all the reasons why he wanted her... tell her how stupid he was for leaving, and how lonely he was without her. How he'd only ever really been happy when she was around and that if she stayed, he knew he could make her happy.

Instead, he downed the rest of his drink, pushed himself away from the island and stood up with a frown. "Well, don't wait until yo'shovin' him on d'plane."

"Wow." Rogue gave a sarcastic nod, watching as he moved around the island towards the door. "Thank you Remy. Thank you so much for your help in this difficult situation."

Remy stopped and gave her a long, hard stare taking a slow breath. His mind swam with a million things he wanted to say all at once, watching the way Rogue tensed up under his blank stare.

"Yo' welcome." He said calmly before continuing his way out the kitchen.

**XXXX**

Rogue stared at the vacant doorway for a moment before letting out a breath and scrubbing her eyes with a frown. While Remy was more in tune with her than most other people, he hadn't quite hit the nail on the head. Her inability to sleep had very little to do with telling Cole. It was something Sarah had said that kept her tossing and turning.

She'd told Joseph right away, and of course he was thrilled she'd decided to go with him. Sarah's blackmail had very little to do with her final decision, it was just a tiny shove in the direction she'd been leaning towards. A tiny shove that ultimately sent her over the edge.

It wasn't the load of bull Sarah fed her about being a free loader with a kid, or her threat to expose what _she_ thought was the truth to Joseph. She knew Remy didn't love Sarah. He'd said so himself; They were just fooling around.

Sarah was nothing more than a pleasant distraction to him.

Just like she'd been once.

It was a kick in the gut... an awful reminder of how horrible he'd made her feel. And in that very moment, she just wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

And of course, there were the obvious benefits in leaving with Joseph. First and foremost, the help she'd be able to acquire for Cole.

She pulled herself off the stool and ambled down the hall, eventually making her way up the stairs, stopping at her son's closed door. She placed a hand against the door and carefully turned the knob, opening the door as quietly as possible and peeking in.

His nightlight gave the room a soft orange glow and she could see that he'd left his trains in the middle of the floor. She smiled and moved to close the door when he rolled over.

"Momma?"

"Yes sweetie. It's me." She whispered. "Did ah wake you?"

He shook his head silently. Rogue stepped into the room, softly closing the door behind her. Avoiding the wooden track he'd laid out on the floor, she crossed the room and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Havin' trouble sleepin'?" She asked, smoothing her hand through his hair.

He squinted up at her and nodded.

"Me too. Want me to stay 'till y'fall asleep?"

He nodded again, scooting over to allow her room to stretch out next to him.

Cole nuzzled his head into the crook of Rogue's arm once she got comfortable and yawned. "Are we moving again?"

Rogue let out a deep sigh and frowned. "Yeah Coley, we are." She looked at him from the corner of her eye, attempting to gauge his temperament before continuing. "You alright with that?"

"Yeah." He closed his eyes as he spoke as sleep began to pull him away. "But are we going far?"

"Well now that depends." She smirked. "If we were drivin'..." She pretended to mentally calculate before nodding. "Then probably. If we were swimmin' our way there... then definitely."

Cole giggled and Rogue squeezed him in a gentle hug. "But since we're takin' a plane, ah don't think it's _too_ far."

"That's good." Cole informed her with a nod. "Cuz I wanna be able to come back an' see everyone."

"An' you wouldn't be able to if y'had to swim. Not unless you were a fish."

He giggled again and nodded. "Like Nemo!"

"Exactly." Rogue brushed the hair off of Cole's forehead and gave him a kiss.

After a few moments of silence, Cole tipped his head to look at her. "Momma, why do you feel funny?"

"That's a good question." She smiled before pursing her lips. "Ah think ah just have a lot on my mind."

"That's why you can't sleep?"

She nodded as she stroked his auburn hair. "Yep."

He took another deep breath and let out a sleepy sigh. "Are you mad at Remy?"

She shushed him softly as she continued to stroke his hair. "Don't you worry about it, sugar."

His little brow knit slightly as he drowsily closed his eyes. "Everybody's so mad."

"Everything will be fine. You just go to sleep." Rogue whispered, letting her own eyes close.

"'Night Momma. I love you."

"Ah love you too."

She waited until she was sure he'd drifted off before sneaking away, looking back on him as she quietly closed the door.

She smiled. "Goodnight."

**XXXX **

"Good morning!" Kitty looked at her watch and nodded. "Yeah, I guess it's still morning technically. I mean, 11 still counts as the morning right? Mid-morning maybe? I mean, who decided that 12 was technically the afternoon? The dude who invented the clock? What a douche."

Remy looked up at the sound of Kitty's overly perky greeting, staring at her for a moment before moving over to the coffee pot.

"Dere's no coffee." He grumbled to her, removing the pot with a frown, as if he were checking just to be sure the pot was actually empty.

"Yeah, I don't drink coffee." She shrugged when he looked back at her. "Caffeine makes me jittery."

He stared at her again for a moment before deciding to keep his comments to himself, turning back to the pot to make some coffee.

"Geeze, you're in a rotten mood today." Kitty muttered, taking a bite of her bagel and cream cheese.

Remy let out a breath and glowered at her. "Wouldn't have anything t'do with a swollen cheekbone an' piercing migraine, hein?"

"Don't go all PMS on me. You were begging to get a beating; With your passive-aggressive behaviour and everything? And I swear, your moods are totally like a friggin pendulum. I think you may be bipolar." She took another bite of her bagel and nodded thoughtfully as his frown deepened.

"Stop talking."

"I'm serious!" She set her bagel down on her plate and brushed the crumbs from her hands before continuing. "You totally display all the main symptoms of manic-depressive behaviour. "What are the main symptoms of manic-depressive behaviour Kitty?" you ask? We'll I'll tell you."

Remy let out a breath and crossed his arms, deciding it was better just to humour the wind-bag than to try to shut her up.

"Let's see. First there's the impaired judgment caused by mania, which include things like; lack of insight, inappropriate humour and behaviours," She raised her eyebrows to emphasize her point before continuing, ticking her points off on her fingers. "Impulsiveness, financial extravagance - but considering you steal everything, you don't quite fit in there... there's grandiose thinking - which basically means, being a pompous prick- hyper-sexuality..." She chuckled and shook her head. "I don't think I need to convince anyone that _that_ one certainly applies to you."

"Kitty. I am not bipolar."

"Then there's the obvious mood changes associated with mania, like; irritability, _hostility_... And that's not even touching on the obvious depression that we constantly find you in when you don't get your own way..."

"Kitty!"

She clamped her mouth shut and stared at him.

"I'm not bipolar."

Kitty picked up her bagel and took another bite with a raised eyebrow. "That's what Brittany Spears said too."

He knit his brow as the coffee finished brewing. "Where d'you learn all dis shit?"

She shrugged. "I'm a friggin' genius Remy. I've been trying to tell people that for years..." Kitty watched as he poured himself a cup of coffee before frowning and giving her head a shake. "I'm telling you Remy; you love her."

He moved towards her, sitting across from her at the table. "An' so what if yo' right p'tite?"

"So... all you're doing is making it easier for her to decide to leave."

"She didn' tell you yet?" He took a gulp of steaming hot black coffee and chuckled. "I s'pose I shouldn' be surprised."

Kitty's frown deepened. "Tell me what?"

Joseph and Piotr rounded the corner into the kitchen, ignored by both Kitty and Remy as she stood and put her hands on her hips. "Tell me what?" She looked over to Joseph, her eyebrows suddenly lifting as reality set in. "Oh. Well that sucks."

"I am thinking what she means to say is 'congratulations'. Right Katya?" Piotr offered her an encouraging smile.

"You knew?" She balked at Piotr before forcing a grin for Joseph and nodding.

"I mean... totally! Of course I mean congratulations... I just... you know?" She shrugged at Joseph and continued nodding until Piotr cleared his throat.

"We should be going now Katya." He took her hand, guiding her out of the room, leaving the two men in a horrible awkward silence.

Joseph poured himself a cup of coffee. "Smells good." He broke the silence with his attempt at small talk. "Strong."

"Yeah." Remy nodded. "I like it strong."

"Me too." Joe nodded before taking a sip. "How many scoops do you add?"

"Two per cup." Remy shrugged, letting his eyes scan the discarded newspaper on the table. "Gives it dat extra kick."

"Wow. Yeah... it's good."

"Yeah." He looked up at Joseph and gave him a forced half smile. "I s'pose I should congratulate you too, hein?"

"Oh, yeah..." Joseph let out a breath and nodded with a tight smile. "Thanks."

"Guess d'best man won."

Joseph took a mouthful of coffee before shaking his head. "I wasn't really aware it was a contest."

They stared at one another silently.

Rogue skidded around the corner, breaking the palpable tension in the room with her entrance. "Remy!" She breathed heavily, her eyes flicking around the kitchen frantically. "Is Cole with you?"

"No." He furrowed his brow, watching as she turned to Joseph.

"Have you seen him?"

"What's going on?" Remy stood up and took a step towards her, causing her to snap her attention back to him with a panicked glare.

"What did you say to him? He was fine this morning Remy!"

"Nothing! I haven't seen him yet-"

"What happened Anna?" Joseph frowned.

"He's gone!" She looked back at Joseph, raking her hands through her hair. "He was playin' with the guys outside an' something happened... an' he just took off!"

"Took off?" Remy stepped towards her with a deep set frown. "What do you mean?"

"He ran away!" She shouted at him.

"Alright, just calm down and think for a second." Joseph rubbed her back soothingly. "Where would he go?"

Remy raced out of the kitchen, ignoring Rogue calling after him.


	20. Chapter 20

20

He ran as fast as he could, stopping for no one, ignoring their hollers as he sped past them through the hallway. He burst out the front doors and jumped down the stairs, continuing full tilt down the long driveway. He knew that logically speaking, there were quite a few options open to them in terms of finding Cole. Jean could do a mental scan or what-have-you... Logan could catch a scent and sniff him out like a hound dog. But he decided it was best to leave the logical thinking to Joseph. Remy's heart was pounding too fast for him to focus on anything resembling logic right now. The fact that he was running down the middle of the street with adrenalin powered determination was proof enough of that.

He'd heard the stories about parents being able to lift cars off of their children's bodies when the surge of adrenalin hit, he'd just put it down to the simple fact that you'd do the same for anybody. Offspring or not.

But he now realized that until you have kids of your own, you have no idea the kind of measures a human would take to protect them. He ignored the panic that was slowly bubbling into the edges of his mind and pressed forward.

He ran past Harry's and down main street, praying that the adrenalin coursing through his veins was taking his legs in the right direction. As soon as Joseph asked "Where would he go?" Remy knew.

Of course he knew Rogue would have thought about the same place eventually, but Remy had experience with running away. He continued running, the residential buildings that had been lining the streets were beginning to taper off into large fields of grass. Remy hung a left, taking the tall grass as fast as he could as he spied his final destination.

The little exhibition that Rogue and Joseph had taken him to had since packed up and left, leaving the old stretch of track bare with the exception of one lonely old boxcar.

His pace picked up until he reached the boxcar, slowing down only when he was close enough to see inside the side door.

And there he was. Sitting cross-legged in the corner, drawing shapes in the dirt on the floor in front of him with his chin propped up on his fist.

Remy let out a long, relieved breath before hopping up into the box car and squatting down in front of the little boy.

"Bonjour, p'tite mec."

Cole sniffled and looked up at Remy. His bright, teary green eyes were almost enough to break his heart in two. He opened his arms, letting Cole scoot in for a hug.

"You okay?" Remy asked as he stroked Cole's mess of brown hair.

He nodded silently.

"Y'put quite a scare into us y'know."

"I know." He said softly, his voice muffled against Remy's chest.

"'Course y'do." Remy smiled, holding Cole tightly as he waited for his heart rate to settle. "Y'wanna talk about it?"

Cole moved back to his spot and nodded, waiting for Remy to take a seat next to him before beginning.

"Everybody's always so mad. Momma told me not to worry about it... but I can't help it. An' then we were playin' basketball outside? An' Uncle Kurt an' Bobby got into a big fight." He sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "The basketball e'sploded."

Remy watched as a few tears rolled down Cole's doll-like cheek. If his heart wasn't broken before, it sure as hell was broken now. Remy reached out and pulled Cole back in gently as the ache in his chest grew. He knew all too well what it felt like to lose control of his power. It was something he wouldn't wish upon anyone, but it was just his cross to bare in life. And the fact that this precious little boy- his precious little boy- had to bare that cross as well was enough to make him want to cry.

"It's okay Cole." He said softly as Cole wiped his tears away.

"No it's not. Momma's gunna be mad. She wanted me to keep it a secret." He sniffled. "Just, everyone's so mad... I just couldn't help it."

Remy looked down at Cole and knit his brow. "Nobody's mad at you Cole. Especially not your momma."

Cole put his head down on Remy's chest, his lower lip trembling slightly with the effort it took to keep from crying.

"She's mad at you."

"I know she is p'tite." Remy sighed. "Listen. Y'can't just run away when things go wrong. It must be hard... knowin' what everyone else is feelin'. But y'gotta understand dat you can't control d'way people feel. Sometimes, y'just gotta deal  
with it."

"I just want everyone happy."

"I know y'do p'tite."

"How come Joe's mad at you?"

Remy worked the muscles in his jaw and pursed his lips. "Well... I said some pretty mean things to him."

"Why?"

"I was jealous of him."

"What's that mean?"

Remy smiled down at Cole and let out a breath. "It means he had somethin' I wanted. An' dat made me..." He hesitated, feeling slightly uncomfortable explaining his emotions out loud, even if it were to a child. "Sad."

"Momma says, you should use your word when you feel sad."

Remy chuckled and nodded. "Sometimes dats easier said den done."

After a moment, Cole tipped his chin up to look at Remy with a frown. "What's 'in my jeans' mean?"

"Come again?"

"You were talkin' to momma last night, an' you said it was 'in my jeans'. Does that mean like... in my pockets?"

Remy smirked and shook his head. "Not those kinds of jeans. Genes like... genetics. Things you get from yo'family. Dem beautiful big green eyes, dat little dimple in your chin... all dem good looks a yours, you got from your momma." He  
winked. "It's in your genes."

Cole pulled back, resting the back of his head against Remy's shoulder. "Are powers in genes too?"

Remy sucked in a breath and looked away with a nod. "Sometimes, yeah."

"So..." Cole's face twisted and Remy could almost see the gears in his head turning. "How come you have the same powers as me? Are you in my genes?"

Remy let out a deep breath and nodded, feeling his heart rate pick up as the prospect of a terrible reaction loomed in the near future. "Oui. I am."

Cole watched him expectantly until Remy offered him a small smile. "I'm your dad."

His big green eyes grew wide and he gasped. "Does momma know?"

Remy's smile grew and he chuckled. "Yeah, she does."

Cole looked away and hummed to himself with his little brow furrowed. "That's good." He looked back at Remy and nodded. "I always wanted a daddy."

"I'm sorry I wasn' around before p'tite mec." Remy tapped Cole's chin playfully with a wink. "Promise it won't happen again."

Cole's eyebrows perked up and he smiled. "Are you comin' with us to Muir Island?"

"No..." Remy's heart ached again but he smiled through it and shook his head. "But we can visit. An' if you ever need me, I'm just a phone call away."

Cole nodded happily, and Remy was convinced he was satisfied with his answer. He sat back against Remy's shoulder and let out a breath.

"Daddy?"

Remy grinned joyfully at the sound of Cole addressing him like that so casually.

"Oui p'tite?"

"I love you, you know."

"Me too Cole. More den you'll ever know."

Cole giggled. "That's what momma always says."

"Speakin' of momma." Remy stood with a smile and scooped Cole up in his arms. "We should let her know you're alright. She's pretty worried."

Cole wrapped his arms around Remy's neck and nodded. "Kay."

**XXXX**

Rogue stepped into the rec room with the wireless phone still in her hand, hanging at her side. "Cole's fine. Remy found him, unharmed." She said, addressing everyone in the room who had been anxiously waiting along with her. "They're in  
the cab, on their way back."

Everybody visibly relaxed and Jean shook her head. "Thank God! Does Remy know what happened?"

Rogue pursed her lips and let out a breath. "Yeah."

"I don't know man... it was the weirdest thing. Kurt was traveling with the ball, so I called him on it-"

"I vas not traveling." Kurt frowned. "You vere cheating."

"Dude! You practically walked across the entire court with the ball under your arm. That's not how we play basketball here in America, that's called football."

"You are so full of it! I honestly vonder if you lie so often, zhat you actually begin to believe it's true."

"Guys!" Jean held up a hand. "Kurt was traveling and Bobby was cheating. Then what happened?"

"Well, we got in a fight. Obviously. Next thing I know there's a loud bang and our ball's in a million pieces on the grass. I turned to Cole to ask him what the heck happened, and he was gone!"

The group looked at Rogue as she set the phone down in it's cradle before turning to face them. "Cole is... an empath." She paused as she received their looks of confusion.

"He's more sensitive to the emotions of people he's close to." She continued, speaking up over the low murmur that had broken out over her unknowing teammates. "And it was never really an issue before, because... ah was the only  
person he was close to."

All eyes were silently on her now and Logan gave her a nod of encouragement.

"This is all part of the reason why ah've decided to go to Muir Island with Joseph. The less people around, the less chance of a negative reaction."

"Yer still plannin' on goin'?" He frowned.

"You can't shelter him forever, Rogue. You totally know that if you-"

Jean waved a hand at Kitty to shut her up before turning to Rogue with a frown. "Negative reaction?"

"Yeah... um..." She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and nodded. "That's his _other _power."

Storm shook her head, and looked at a bemused Logan. "How is that possible? He is only five years old."

"Well, he gets that from his father. And because he's only five, he doesn't know how to deal with everyone else's emotions. Ah've done a pretty good job of stayin'... stoic, but... when he gets upset, it triggers his other power which causes  
him to... potentially blow things up." She looked at Joseph who gave her a comforting smile. "Which incidentally, he also gets from his father."

The group still stared at her expectantly. Kitty glanced around before discreetly motioning for Rogue to elaborate a bit more.

"...Who will be back here at the mansion with Cole any minute."

"Remy." Storm pursed her lips and shook her head. "Why didn't you tell us sooner Rogue?"

"No offense 'Ro, but ah didn't think it was anyone's business."

"Wait, what?" Jubilee blinked, looking over to Jean who's eyes were now wide, and Scott, who sighed and shook his head.

"Seriously? Gambit's your baby daddy?" Jamie asked before receiving a swat from Logan. "What? I was just gunna say that it explains why Joe and him were at it the other day."

"That's true!" Jubilee gawped as realization set in.

"How the hell did that happen?" Bobby crossed his arms. "Lucky bastard... he seriously gets any woman he looks at. I'm telling you Summers, watch your back."

Rogue held up her hands to silence the budding squabble and rolled her eyes. "Look, ah was young, an' it was really stupid.

"But I thought you two were such good friends." Jean shook her head. "I _never_ thought he'd take advantage of that."

"Really? Never?" Scott smirked. "This is Gambit we're talking about. He'd put the moves on _Bobby_ as long as he was wearing a tight skirt."

Bobby grimaced. "Dude!"

"When did all this even happen?" Jubilee interjected, eying Kitty as she held Pete's hand uncharacteristically silent. Kitty gave Jubilee an innocent shrug and forced look of surprise.

"I too am shocked, and appalled, at this brand new information!" She uttered, somewhat robotically, causing Pete to stifle a laugh. "Whatever, I'm totally a good actress."

"It happened right after Joe took off." Rogue answered matter-of-factly.

"Typical... make his move right when a girl's feeling all vulnerable." Bobby nodded. "Damn he's good."

"Bobby..." Jean frowned, silently shaking her head at him.

"What? I'm just sayin' the guys got mad skills. We didn't even know Rogue could touch anyone, and there he is, knockin' her up."

"Bobby!" Jean repeated, staring at him.

"I'm sorry... _impregnating_ her up."

Rogue crossed her arms and gave him a nod. "Thanks Drake."

"So what are you gunna do?" Jubilee frowned. "Are you still leaving?"

"Doesn't Gambit like, get a say?" Kitty asked innocently.

"I think he gave his opinion half a decade ago when he took off and got married." Scott offered Rogue a shrug and adjusted the glasses on his nose.

"He left you, and got _married?_" Sarah spoke for the first time, the genuine shock in her voice was unmistakeable.

Rogue sucked in a breath and nodded. "Sort of."

Sarah frowned and shook her head. "I didn't... realize..." She bit her lip and looked down. "I'm sorry."

Rogue stared at her for a moment before giving her a nod. "It's okay."

Sarah cleared her throat and stood. "Well, I think all that's important now is Rogue's final decision. Which is totally up to her and should have no outside influence what-so-ever." She emphasized her point with a firm nod causing Rogue to crack a grin and nod back.

"Thank you Sarah."

Kitty scrunched up her nose as she looked between the two women before settling on Rogue, eying her carefully. "Whatever. No offense or anything Joe, but there is like, no way you can leave, Rogue."

"An' why is that?" Rogue asked with a patronizing smile.

"Well first of all... reasons that I am sure you would not like me speaking about in front of everybody? You know... the whole Edward and Bella syndrome?"

Rogue closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kitty-"

"Secondly, being stoic is cool and all, but it's totally not you. You're a spirited, moody, passionate... y'know... girl or whatever! You're not stoic. You can't pull off stoic."

She put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. "Moody?"

"Look, I think we can all agree that people change." Joseph offered as he moved to stand next to Rogue. "Time changes people, life changes people, and kids can certainly illicit a change, so it's unreasonable to expect Anna to still be the same brooding, moody girl she was six or seven years ago."

"He does have a point." Jean nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but it's who she is. She may not be all brooding... emo... weird and shit, anymore," Bobby gestured towards Rogue as he spoke. "But it's totally uncharacteristic for her to not be spunky. Even when she's moody, she's still got that... spark."

"Why do y'all keep sayin' moody? Ah am not moody."

Joseph rubbed her back with a smile, silently choosing not to address her comment.

"Ah'm not! Bein' pissed off when people are stupid is not moody. You guys just do stupid things that piss me off, that ain't mah fault. An' ah'll tell ya this much, that hasn't changed."

Logan suppressed a smile as he nodded, gaining him a dangerous glare.

"Shut up." She looked back to the group with a frown. "Besides, Joseph is right. Ah have changed. Ah've grown up. An' maybe... ah just don't belong here anymore."

"Well what about Cole? Doesn't he have a say?" Kitty crossed her arms and knit her brow expectantly.

"Yes. Cole has a say. But ah find that leavin' big life decisions up to a five year old generally isn't a wise idea." She let her stance relax as she crossed her arms with a sarcastic smile. "For example, when we came here, we'd have moved into  
a gingerbread house and ah'd be an ice cream farmer. And we'd have flown here on the back of the dragon, from Shrek. So basically, ah handle the big ticket decisions."

Kitty frowned, "Yeah, but-"

Everything was put on the back burner when the beautiful sound of her son's excited voice wafted down the hall before he scurried around the corner into the rec room.

"Cole..." She knelt down and squeezed him tightly, peppering his little face with kisses. "Don't you ever do that again! Ah was so worried honey..."

"I'm sorry momma." He grimaced under her kisses and frowned. "Are you mad?"

Rogue laughed and hugged him tighter. "Of course not silly. Ah'm relieved t'see you're alright!" She suddenly jerked him back at arms length and did a visual sweep of him, grabbing his hands and inspecting the quickly. "You _are_ alright... right?"

Cole giggled and nodded as Remy strode through the doorway.

"Soon as we got through d'front door he took off t'find you." He smirked at Rogue and shrugged. "Couldn' keep up with him."

She stood, keeping her hand on Cole's shoulder, and tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear. "Thank you Remy." She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Ah don't know what ah would've... if somethin' happened to him ah..." She looked down at Cole and trailed off.

"Don' worry 'bout it chere." He gave Cole a wink and mussed up his hair. "Just doin' my job."

Cole looked up at Rogue and smiled. "When we move, I can take my trains right? I don't have ta leave anything here, do I?"

"Yes baby, you can take your trains." Rogue chuckled, glancing at Remy with an uneasy grin. "Why don't we go finish packin' up your room so we don't forget anything?"

Cole nodded and took Rogue's hand as she led him out of the room, followed quickly by Joseph who jumped at the excuse to leave.

Remy looked up at the group who was now staring at him expectantly.

He furrowed his brow. "What?"

Kitty's lower lip stuck out dramatically and Jean stood up. "Um... It's nothing. Just... Rogue told us about you. And her."

"Oh." He pressed his lips together, letting his frown deepen with the action. "So is dis d'part where you all lecture me on bein' irresponsible?"

"What's the point in lecturing, you already know you are." Scott shrugged.

Jean narrowed her eyes and dipped her head slightly. "Are you okay?"

He gave her a nonchalant shrug and smiled. "'Course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Jean knit her brow. "It's just that, I can-"

"I'm fine." He squared his jaw and shoved his hands in his pockets, turning his gaze to Kitty with a sudden frown. "Stay out of it." He turned around and left quickly.

"Yeesh." Kitty shook her head with a chuckle. "And we thought Rogue was moody!"

Jubilee craned her neck to look at Kitty with her eyes narrowed. "So... what the hell is an Edward and Bella syndrome?"

Kitty pressed her lips together and shook her head. "I have no idea what you are talking about." She looked up at Pete with a smug smile and nodded. "See? I'm totally a good actress."

**XXXX**

Remy breezed down the hall with his hands still firmly in his pockets and his head down. He stopped outside of Cole's open door and peered in carefully, making sure he remained unseen. Cole cheerfully wrapped each wooden train in tissue paper individually before gently placing it in the large cardboard box. Rogue was nowhere in sight. He sneaked by the little boy's door continuing a few doors down to Rogue's and frowned at the closed entrance. This either meant she wasn't in  
there at all, or she was in there, and she wasn't alone. He grimaced at the prospect of later regretting what he was about to do, leaning towards the door and pressing his ear carefully against the cool wood. He couldn't hear any voices, just a slight rustling sound. She was probably just packing up on her own. He was about to pull away and consider knocking on the door, when it suddenly pulled away from his ear. Rogue gasped, almost walking right into him.

"Remy, what the hell!"

He pulled back and offered her a guilty smile. "Sorry. I was..." He jerked his thumb towards the end of the hall and pursed his lips with a shrug.

"Listening at my door? What, are ya Nancy Drew now? Next thing ah know you'll be peekin' in through the key hole." She said with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Why would y' say Nancy Drew? You could've easily said d'Hardy Boys or somethin'."

"Please. You wish you were the Hardy Boys."

He smiled and looked down at his feet, unable to shake Cole's sage words of advice; You should use your words when you're sad. He sucked in a breath and looked back up at her with a shrug. "I wanted t'talk. If y'have a minute."

"Sure." She furrowed her brow and stepped aside, letting Remy move past her before closing the door and rubbing her bare arms.  
_  
Use your words._ He worked the muscles in his jaw and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the boxes she had stacked up on her bed. "How's the packing goin'?"

"Good." She said with a nod. "Look Rem," She squared her jaw when he looked back at her from over his shoulder. "Ah really did wanna thank you. The way you took control an' found Cole so easily... ah was so panicked and you just went  
into business mode."

"It's okay." He turned back to the boxes and let his eyes absently scan over them.

"Ah would have said more earlier, but it was pretty awkward with everyone there."

"Yes. I know. Thank you for leaving me with dem by d' way." He turned to give her a smirk and she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Well, now we're even." She grinned, watching as he turned his attention to her bare dresser.

He worked the muscles in his jaw, trying to work up the courage to 'use his words'. He had no idea why it was so difficult. Sure, he'd fought the truth tooth and nail whenever Kitty would bring it up, but that was different. That was mostly  
because Kitty just annoyed the crap out of him. But this was the real deal. He had to not only acknowledge it, but address it out loud; and that proved to be far more difficult than he'd anticipated.

He sucked in a breath and looked back at her.

"Cole told me about your talk." She puckered her brow. "About how we can make this all work out, an' that he won't be missin' out on anything." The corner of her mouth tugged up slightly. "And how he can call you Daddy."

Remy blinked at her before giving her a nod, signaling for her to continue.

"Did you mean that? That we can make this work?" She looked down at her hands and shook her head. "Because... ah don't know if ah could really leave if ah knew you weren't okay with all of this. Ah know it's all happenin' fast Remy, and  
it's a lot to ask of you. But if ah knew you were really willin' t'work with me an' make this all work out." She looked up at him hopefully, her brow still puckered as she chewed her lip. "Ah wouldn't feel so bad about it."

Remy stared at her silently.

It was now or never; Speak now or forever hold your peace.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he sucked in a breath. "All I want," He started, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. Even though Kitty may have been right all along, and that he really was very much in love with her, it suddenly dawned on him that he was too late. She'd grown up and moved on, and it was ridiculous for either Kitty or himself to have ever thought otherwise. She didn't want him. She'd made her choice.

"All I want is for you an' Cole to be happy. If you think it's better out dere for you two... den I want you to go."

"Thank you." Her face lit up and she quickly crossed the room, slipping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. "Besides, it's only a year right?" She rested her head against his shoulder as she spoke, and he wrapped his arms around her to hug back. "That's not so bad."

Remy closed his eyes and found himself trying to memorize this moment, drinking in everything about her as if he were a man on the brink of dehydration and enjoying the way she felt so close, just one last time.

And then she pulled away and smiled at him. "Ah better go. Joe has a spare suitcase for me." She spun around with a wave and slipped out of the room leaving nothing behind but the lingering smell of her intoxicating shampoo.

He plunked down on an open spot on her crowded bed and let out a breath.

It may only a year, but it'd be like a lifetime to him.

* * *

_**A/N- So again, sorry it's late. But YOU try driving halfway across the great white north with two kids under 3 in a mini van and tell me that you feel in any sort of mood to write afterward. HECK YES I DID.**_

_**Anyways, I'm not totally thrilled with this chapter, but it was either this or nothing. So... this it is. Hope you like it! :D**_

_**Also, just because I was given explicit permission to do so, I blame my inability to write in a timely manner on Starlight2twilight and her pirate ninja romy ways. And if you're wondering, yes she is a super turbo twihard, so feel free to pm her about Twilight.**_

_**(98% evil? MWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA)**_

_**And one more thing? I would have had this up WAY SOONER, but I hit save and the whole friggin' thing ERASED. SOB!**_

_**That is all. :D**_

_**PS. I did a spell check and then was made aware that the spell check did not work. And now you all know my secret: I cannot spell worth a lick. **_


	21. Chapter 21

21

The past couple of days had been such a flurry of activity with him trying to spend as much time possible with his little boy while pretending that everything was peachy, that he didn't really have time to stop and dwell on the situation. Until tonight. They were set to leave in the morning. He opted out of 'group dinner time' and skulked off to his room where he flopped down on his bed and put on some blues. Putting on such a front was terribly exhausting. He just needed some time alone.

After an hour or so, there was a knock on his door. He sighed to himself before calling out for his guest to enter.

"Hey." Sarah crossed her arms and leaned against the doorjamb, giving him a slow once over. "You skipped dinner."

He looked over at her from his place stretched out on his bed with his hands propped behind his head against the headboard and gave her a lazy grin. "Wasn' hungry."

"Yeah." She stepped inside, closing the door behind her before reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a cereal bar which she tossed onto his chest. "Sure."

Remy eyed it hesitantly, eventually moving it over to his nightstand. "Thanks."

She nodded and looked up towards the stereo speakers, listening to the smooth blues style song that he had softly playing in the background. "This is a nice song. Kinda sad though, don't you think?"

"Never noticed." He shrugged.

Sarah smiled and looked back at him. "I like it. You can hear the yearning and sadness in his voice-"

"What do you want Sarah?"

"We haven't had any time to talk in a few days."

"When do we ever really _talk_?"

She stretched out next to him on his bed, facing him so her body lay flush with his, resting her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "It took me a while, but I figured everything out."

"When y'start beginnin' conversations like dat y' remind me of Kitty." He smiled and shook his head, twisting his arm around her as she got comfortable. "You gotta start spendin' less time with Kitty. Spend some more time with me, hein?"

Sarah pursed her lips. "When were you planning on telling me that you've been married?"

Remy looked over at her and knit his brow. "I told you I was engaged, ain't my fault y'took dat t'mean we never followed through."

She rolled her eyes with a smile and shook her head. "You were always so cryptic when I'd try to get anything out of you... and it just got worse as soon as she showed up."

He silently squared his jaw and let out a breath.

"I always assumed your commitment issues stemmed from your ex... _fiancee_." She moved her hand to his chest, drawing lazy designs as she continued. "And I was ok with that. So imagine my shock when you set your sights on some chick who used to be your friend years ago. And then I walk in on you two talking about the son you have together. Not impressed."

"Sarah-"

"So then I'm thinking... This bimbo had her chance. Now she's nosing around **my** territory. I'm feeling... well, used. And I don't like that." Sarah lifted her head off his shoulder and propped it up on her hand, looking down on him with a small smile. "And then in the back of my mind, I remember that we said no emotional attachment, and no strings. So I shouldn't really be angry. But lets face it Remy," The smile slides off her face and her brow puckers slightly. "There are always strings."

Remy closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "Sarah... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Remy. I wasn't talking about me."

He opened his eyes up and cut them towards her with another frown.

"I was talking about you, silly." She taps his nose with a playful smile and perched her chin on his chest. "It's pretty obvious once you know all the facts. So what happened? Did you have a fight or something?"

"Nothing happened." He looked forward and rubbed her back out of habitual affection. "I just... left."

Sarah knit her brow and searched his face. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm kinda known for my trend in dissapointin' people. I figured it was better t'ruin her week den d'rest of her life."

"You got scared." Sarah said softly, puckering her brow with a sympathetic smile.

"Well..." He gave her a half smile, "I like d'way I said it better."

"And you didn't know about Cole."

He shook his head silently. "An' now they're leavin'."

"What did she say when you told her how you felt?"

He hesitated for a moment before letting out a short breath. "I didn't. I'm takin' d'high road." He grinned and gave her a wink. "I'm respectin' her decision."

"A decision she made without having all the facts."

Sarah sat up slightly and gave him a stern stare causing Remy to roll his eyes and pull his arm from around her body. "Alright, now you're really startin' remind me of Kitty." He pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed with his back facing her.

"Scared again." Sarah sat up and crossed her legs with her back against the headboard. "Oh no, I'm sorry. You're choosing not to 'ruin the rest of her life'. How nobel."

"Stop talking now."

Sarah slid off the bed and stood up. "It's your choice, man." She moved towards the door. "But you're not only giving up on Rogue. You're giving up on Cole too."

"I'm not givin' up on anybody! We both agreed that it'd be better for him out dere." Remy glowered back at her.

"Okay.

A knock at his door saved him from figuring out how to respond. "Come in." He barked, keeping his glare set on Sarah.

The door opened a tiny crack and a small voice drifted through. "Daddy?"

Remy stood up and turned towards the door. "C'mon in p'tite." His frown lifted into a smile, watching Cole push the door open a bit more and take one step inside.

"I'm all done my supper. I ate all my veggies too, so Momma said I could play video games with Bobby. Do you wanna come play too?"

Remy's smile grew and he nodded. "I'd love to p'tite mec." He looked up at Sarah who pursed her lips and quietly slipped out. Cole led the way down to the rec. room, chattering the entire way. When they rounded the corner, Rogue gave him a warm smile.

"Now you play fair Cole. Don't kick their butts too bad." She mussed up his hair and he giggled. "An' no more sugar. It's gettin' late," She looked at the clock and shook her head. "Ah don't want you havin' nightmares."

Cole nodded and scurried past her, scooping up the game controller and plunking himself down next to Bobby on the sofa, waving for Remy to join him.

"Ah gotta go organize boxes. My room's a mess. Ah might have t'make my bed on top of boxes tonight. It'll be like the princess and the pea."

Remy smirked. "Plenty a'room in mine."

She gave him a nudge as she passed, offering him a smile. "Have fun."

**XXXX**

Rogue reluctantly opened one eye, squinting at the glowing green numbers on the nightstand beside her. Just past 1. She'd gotten, maybe, 2 solid hours of sleep. She rolled over and sighed. She'd have to get used to this sooner or later, it was inevitable. A happy consequence of her bed being occupied by half packed boxes, but one that also forced her to face her quick approaching reality. Joseph breathed softly beside her, laying perfectly still with the exception of the slow rise and fall of his chest. The only other person she'd ever actually slept with was Cole. And of course, on the odd occasion Remy. Usually though, they'd part ways before there was any actually sleeping involved. It was never easy for her to fall asleep with another human being so close, fearing that for some reason she'd suddenly lose her control and kill them while they both slept. Joseph's head rolled to the side, and he opened his eyes slightly when he noticed she was awake.

"You okay?"

She nodded silently, letting her head rest against his bare shoulder.

He twisted his arm around her and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You can't sleep?"

"Not well." She closed her eyes and gave him a tired smile. "It's just different."

"You'll get used to it." He murmured against her forehead, gently tracing circles on her arm as he spoke. "Did you want me to sing you a lullaby?"

She laughed softly, "What if ah said yes?"

"Then I don't think anyone would be sleeping."

She chuckled and shook her head, but before she could respond her eyes flew wide open and jerked upright. Joseph began to ask what was wrong, when he heard the source of her sudden concern;

A small, but very audible cry coming from just down the hall; The voice of a little boy, begging for his Momma.

Rogue shot out of bed like a pistol, racing down the black hallway in nothing but her tank top and shorts. A few people stuck their heads out into the hallway questioningly at the sound of Rogue thundering down the hall, but she ignored them, focusing solely on his voice.

She reached his door, bursting through with a breath of relief the instant she noticed his bed was not glowing.

"Honey, Momma's here." She cooed, moving over to his side and sitting down next to him, circling her arms around him in a big hug. "Shhh, it's okay baby."

Joseph came to a quick stop just inside the room in his PJ bottoms, followed by Remy and a handful of concerned teammates. "Is he okay?" Joseph frowned.

"I had a nightmare." Cole informed them, rubbing the tears from his eyes. Rogue squared her jaw as she stroked the little boy's brown hair, pulling him back slightly to look him in the eye.

"You had sugar before bedtime. Didn't you? Ah told you, Cole, no sugar!"

"Mr. Bobby gave me some cookies."

Logan growled and Rogue glared at Bobby who shrunk back slightly with a shrug. "I didn't think he'd actually get nightmares..."

Kitty scoffed. "You're a moron."

"Takes one to know one."

She crossed her arms and gave an offended gasp. "You're rubber and I'm glue, and whatever you say... whatever I... you're glue, and I'm... SHUT UP!"

Remy ran a hand over his face and shook his head as Bobby chuckled. "You keep gigglin' an' I'm gunna knock your head through dat wall."

Bobby clamped his mouth shut as Piotr rubbed Kitty's back reassuringly. "It's okay Katya, you'll think of a comeback later."

"Momma..." Cole looked up at Rogue, his big green eyes glimmered from the light provided by his plug-in night light. "I want help."

Rogue let out a breath and bit her lip. "You're sure?"

He nodded silently. She frowned, looking back at the group of people and waving for them to go.

"Alright, show's over I guess." Logan grumbled, ushering everyone but Remy and Joseph away and closing the door on his way out.

Cole lay back down on his pillow and closed his eyes before Rogue bent over him.

"Sleep tight, baby."

He nodded, and she gave him a kiss on the forehead, effectively knocking him out cold.

Joseph moved over to her side, taking her hand in his with a concerned frown still in place. "Is he going to be okay?"

She smiled up at him and nodded. "Oh yeah," She stood, letting Joseph pull her in close in a side hug. "This hasn't happened for awhile th-"

Rogue stopped and sucked in a deep breath, throwing a hand to her chest suddenly.

"Anna!" Joseph lowered his head to get a better look at her. "Are you okay?"

Her brow knit and she shook her head, turning to Remy who still stood silently at the closed door. "Ah'm fine."

Remy rubbed the back of his neck, with his eyes fixed on the floor between them. "I can stay with him. If y'want."

"No. He'll be fine now." She shrugged with a quick wave of her hand.

"Well den, gunna go back t'bed. Need my beauty sleep." He smirked, reaching back and pulling the door open, offering them a nod before slipping out.

Joseph started for the door with her hand still tangled in his until Rogue pulled it away. "Y'know, ah think ah'm just gunna clear off my bed an' sleep there."

"You sure?"

"Yeah... ah'll have a hard enough time gettin' back t'sleep now anyways." She half smiled and gathered her hair over her shoulder. "Even if you were t'sing me t'sleep."

Joseph let out a small laugh and nodded. "Okay. Let me know if you need me."

Her smile grew and she waved him goodbye, plopping back down on Cole's bed once he'd left. She sat there for a few minutes, staring at her motionless son while he slept before eventually getting up and leaving. She did a quick visual sweep of the dark hallway, before tip toeing down in the opposite direction from Joe's room. She came to a stop in front of the door, doing another hall check, and then knocking lightly three times.

After a quick moment, the door opened and Remy frowned down at her. "What's wrong?"

She stepped past him into his room and looked up at him as she closed the door with his hand still on the knob.

"Rogue, wh-"

"Why didn't you say something?"

He stared back at her, letting go of the door knob to cross his arms over his bare chest. "Say something about...?"

Rogue looked away with a slight sigh and rubbed her forehead. "Ah have Cole's powers Remy. Ah know how you feel."

He tensed up and squared his jaw. She looked back at him and puckered her brow. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Would it have made a difference?"

"No." She answered, turning her head again as she shook her head and took a few steps away. "Ah don't know. Dammit Remy, ah thought everything was fine! An' you lied t'me about bein' okay with all of this."

"I just want you t'be happy."

"You think lying to me makes me happy?"

Remy pursed his lips. "No, but I do think dat ignorance is bliss."

She began pacing back and forth as she spoke, "Every thing's done Remy! Ah'm almost completely packed!" She stopped and looked up at him with a frown. "We leave in the morning!"

"I know."

She turned away with a shake of her head and continued pacing. "Why wouldn't you have said somethin' to me? Ah was right here." Rogue looked up at him again with her brow puckered, "Ah didn't think... ah always just thought you got bored."

He squared his jaw, turning his eyes away from her.

She balled her hands up at her sides and shot out a breath. "Say somethin', Cajun!"

Remy reluctantly dragged his gaze up to meet hers.

They stared at one another silently for a full minute before Rogue stepped towards him. She put her hand on his jaw tenderly while she searched his eyes, running her bare fingers along the stubble on his chin. Before he could say anything, she pulled him in and crushed her mouth against his. He slid his hands around her waist to gently pull her closer which only served to spur her on more. She ran one hand up his bare chest, snaking her other hand from the hard line of his jaw around to the back of his neck, and into his hair. He swallowed back a groan and mustered up enough strength to pull her back slightly.

"What are you doin'?"

"Ah don't know." She whispered against his mouth before eagerly closing the space again. His hands wandered up under the hem of her tank top, smoothing their way up her back. She groaned and tightened her grip on him, as if she could pull him in any closer. Suddenly, she angled her head away, forcing down a swallow. "Ah don't know."

Remy stood frozen with his hands on her back, waiting for her to make her next move. She shifted back and let out a frustrated sigh. "Ah'm sorry." She said, pulling his door open and quickly exiting. After a quick visual sweep, she hurried back down the hall to her room.

After closing the door behind her, she eyed the half full boxes on her bed as she chewed her lip. There was no way she'd be sleeping tonight; she might as well get to work.

* * *

**_A/N: Story's almost done! Sorry for the late update, I've been trying to get it totally finished before posting this chapter, but decided I should just hurry up and post already. :/_**

**_I think the last chapter I wrote, had the best reviews EVER! I even received the first chapter of a potential sequel via review. F'realz. You guys are awesome! I just noticed I'm over 300 reviews! Yee haw!  
And since Kitty never actually responds to her reviews in her blog, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her reviewers as well, on her behalf. :) Kitty also would like to say, that Starlight2Twilight needs to update Mutants Next Door. Her exact words were, and I quote: "Um, hellooo?"_**

**_And then she rolled her eyes.  
_****_  
Since this story is winding up, I'm putting in a plug for another story that I've been writing for like, ever, and actually plan on posting soon. It's called "The Hand". Keep an eye out for it! _**

**_Reviews pour favor! :D (Uhh, that means please in French.)_**


	22. Chapter 22

22

Her room currently looked like grand central station. Bustling with people coming in empty handed and leaving with as much as they could carry to bring down to the Black Bird.

"I don't know how you manage to have so much stuff." Kurt said as he struggled to lift a box. "You only have one room!"

"Ah used t'have a house. Remember smarty pants?"

"Vhere vere you hiding it all?" Kurt dropped the awkward box with a frustrated grunt. He vanished in a puff of thick purple smoke causing all of the occupants of the room to groan. More than likely, it was from the less than pleasent smell of brimstone he left behind. When he teleported back, just outside the room, he got an earful from everyone voicing their complaints.

"C'mon elf," Logan grumbled, "Quit stinkin' up the room. Use your legs like a man."

Jubilee waved her hand through the remnants of the purple smoke and coughed on the stench. "Or at least just carry the light boxes, jeeze..."

Remy leaned against the wall a few doors down the hallway, watching. Or as Kitty put it 'supervising'. He liked that term better. There was no way in hell he was going to help. It was one thing to refrain from begging her to stay, and quite another to actually help her move.

"This totally sucks."

He looked down, noticing Kitty had stopped next to him with her arms crossed and frown. She was supervising too.

"I don't understand how they can just help like that. I'd totally make her do the whole thing on her own. Serves her right."

He let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. As childish as Kitty's statment sounded, he couldn't agree with her more.

"Okay, so like... maybe not the _whole_ thing. Her mattress is pretty big. And she'd probably need help with her dresser. But after that, zip."

"I'm sure you'd be d'first she'd ask for help movin' a dresser p'tite."

"Hey." Kitty gave him a pointed glance. "I may be small, but I'm scrappy." She turned her attention back to the relay down the hall and shrugged. "I could carry a few drawers or something."

They both watched silently, side by side, as the contents of Rogue's room was slowly emptied out.

"The only good thing about watching Rogue move is watching Pete carry boxes. He's super sexy... with all those muscles..."

Remy rolled his eyes. He no longer agreed with her, and silently wished she'd go away. At least she wasn't talking about him, and how he should have made her stay. All her other mindless praddle he could filter out, but that topic always hit a nerve. And she knew it.

Cole scurried by with a box of his toys in his arms, stopping to give them a toothy grin.

Kitty let out a small breath and gave her head a shake. "I'm sorry. I can't even imagine how much this sucks for you."

He remained quiet, watching Joe help Cole down the hall and into the elevator, thankful that Kitty hadn't said any more.

"Don't strain yourself over there Kit."

His eyes darted over to Rogue who was standing in her doorway with her arms crossed.

"This is the protest section." Kitty informed her as she stuck up her nose. "We'll have nothing to do with this."

"Katya, be nice." Colossus frowned as he passed by, heading back into the room for another box.

"I am being nice. This is me being nice in the current situation. You wouldn't want to see me be mean." She called after him, causing Remy to unconciously roll his eyes yet another time.

His eyes settled back on Rogue, watching while she bent over to hoist a box up onto her hip. She stopped and looked at him for a moment before her eyes shifted away, and she moved down the hall towards the elevator.

"Jeeze, what was that about?" Kitty eyeballed Remy when Rogue disappeared into the elevator. "Are you guys fighting again? I can't keep up with you two."

Remy heaved a sigh and shook his head. "I've had enough a dis." He muttered, turning on his heel and heading back towards his room.

The elevator doors slid open and Rogue stepped to the side, allowing Jean and Sarah to pass her by. She boarded the elevator and punched the button to take her down to the sub-basement, plopping the box down on the floor.

Logan stepped in before the doors closed and set his box down on top of hers.

"You look tired."

"Rough night."

"Alright, Stripes. Spill it."

"Spill what?"

He gave her a sidelong glance as the doors slid shut, crossing his arms and leaning back. "Jean told me you were actin' weird."

"Ah'm not actin' weird. Ah'm busy." She said with a simple shrug.

"Yeah. Unfortunately I'm not buyin' that."

The elevator doors opened with a _ding_ and Logan hefted both boxes up with ease and moved around the corner, into the hangar, and towards the Black Bird, dropping them with the rest of the boxes that needed to be loaded.

Rogue sucked her lower lip into her mouth and followed, letting her eyes scan the stacks of boxes. All three of their lives; Her's, Cole's and Joseph's, were all right there, laid out before her.

Her night had been long, and she was operating on very little sleep. She'd spent the night first, unpacking. And then re-packing everything. And then trying desperately to will herself to sleep. But she just could not figure out how to block out the flood of feelings she'd picked up off of Remy. Her heart literally ached. It was odd really, being able to actually feel the way someone felt about you.

She didn't like it one bit.

She'd experienced the effects of Cole's powers before, of course, but never to this magnitude. Not even close.

"Last night, ah had to help Cole get back to sleep." She started suddenly, speaking quicker than her normal pace. "Ah don't do it often anymore. Only when he asks." Cole's powers were long gone from her system, but their effects were still raw in her memory. "Ah swear, ah don't know how that kid deals with it."

Logan looked up at her, expectantly. "Okay."

"Ah did somethin' stupid."

He let out a deep breath and crossed his arms. "This 'something' doesn't happen to speak with a Cajun accent... does it?"

She grimaced. "A little bit."

"Stripes..." Logan gave her a disappointed head shake.

"Not like _that_. Nothin' happened, really. It's just... ah sort of picked up on Remy's feelings." She pursed her lips for a moment before flipping a hand into the air. "Loving feelings."

Logan squared his jaw and gave her a silent look that screamed: Why are you telling me this shit?

"Look, it was either you, or Kitty." She crossed her arms and frowned. "An' besides. You asked."

He shot out a breath and nodded understandingly before Rogue continued.

"Ah'm doin' the right thing here... right?"

"Well..." Logan began awkwardly, "Do you have the... love thing... for him?"

"Ah don't know. Ah don't know what ah thought ah knew anymore." She plopped her face down in her hands and groaned. "Ah can't tell who's feelings are whose. Ah'm so confused! Ah don't wanna make the wrong choice..."

Logan rolled his eyes with another deep sigh, "Think of it practically, kid. You're lookin' for help with Cole? He can get help at either place. Chuck's just as good as them out on Muir Island, just because they're called specialists, don't mean they're any more special."

Rogue looked up at him, considering his words as he spoke.

"You lookin' for a job? You know you always have one right here. I'm sure we can get Storm t'let out your old uniform a bit... an' you're good t'go." He gave her a smile.

She cracked a smirk and nodded. "Ah guess..."

Logan lifted up a box and began lugging it onto the plane, when he immerged, he crossed his arms and frowned. "If you ask me, you've had Joe up on a pedistal ever since he taught you how to control your power. You don't think that had a bit of influence on your decision to leave? Like you owed him somethin'?"

"That's not fair. Ah do owe him, a lot, but that's not why ah chose t'go with him. Ah know love him. An' ah don't want to hurt him again. An' ah just want to be _normal_."

He picked up another box and brought it on board. Rogue grabbed a box and followed.

"You spend all your life tryin' to be normal Stripes, an' you'll never know how extrodinary you could be."

He gave her a wink. Rogue arched an eyebrow and nodded, "Wow Logan, that was actually pretty profound. You been watchin' Dr. Phil with Kitty again?"

"I read a lot a them Chicken Soup books."

Rogue smiled and followed Logan out to retrieve some more boxes.

"Now, as far as they guys go... Joe bugs me less than Gumbo. I like him. He treats you good." He gave her a sad, lopsided smile. "I just don't like that he's takin' you away."

She stuck her lower lip out in a playful pout that caused him to smile. "You need to stop readin' those books an' start readin' somethin' manly. Somethin' with a car on the front, or a half dressed woman. Or both."

**XXXX **

She'd never been one for the sappy, drawn out goodbyes. Too much emotion and sadness. If she were being honest, she'd admit that this played a major part in her method of departure six years earlier. And if it was just her, she would have happily slipped out in the cover of darkness this time too. But this time, it wasn't just her. So here she stood, in front of the elevator with her son in hand, after doing one last check of their rooms, about to head down to face the "goodbye parade". She punched the "down" button and waited for the elevator to respond. Without saying a word, Remy stopped at her side and scooped Cole up into his arms. Cole hugged him tightly and rested his head on his shoulder.

The elevator doors sprang open and they stepped inside silently, with Cole still comfortably in his father's arms.

She wanted to reach out and comfort him, in this last moment of near-privacy; Give his hand a gentle squeeze, or a reassuring hug, just to let him know she cared. But by the time she'd mustered up enough courage, the elevator doors opened to the sub-basement floor. They walked through the hall wordlessly, winding their way to the hangar where everyone was waiting.

"C'mon Stripes, ain't got all day." Logan grunted, waving for her to hurry up. "It's already 10. We gotta pick Chuck and Hank up and be back here before sun set."

"He doesn't want to miss_ Dancing With the Stars!_" Bobby called out with his hand cupping his mouth.

Storm chuckled at Logan's look of disgust before climing on board the jet.

Rogue came to a stop next to Jospeh, who put a tender arm around her with a gentle squeeze.

Jean was the first to make her move, stepping forward to give Rogue a light hug. When Jean pulled back, she frowned.

"It's not the same when you're not around."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Rogue smirked, causing Jean to crack a smile.

She turned to Cole and Remy and gave Cole a kiss on the cheek, informing him that she'd miss him.

Scott was next, offering Joe and Rogue a handshake to bid them farewell, moving over to Cole as Bobby gave Joseph a playful nudge.

"Bet you're excited about all that _privacy_." He waggled his eyebrows. "Y'know?"

"Geeze, Bobby." Rogue rolled her eyes.

Everyone else gathered around and said their goodbyes, trying to keep the mood light to cater to Cole's sensative empathy. Kitty squared her jaw and tipped it upwards slightly in an effort to keep herself composed, and Cole's grip on Remy tightened.

"Let's go get you all set up on d'Blackbird, p'tite."

As soon as they disappeared into the plane, Kitty stepped towards Rogue and chewed on her lip.

"Make sure you call when you get there, okay?"

Rogue nodded.

"And make sure you call. You know. Like... on a regular basis."

Rogue smiled. "Kitty, ah promise."

"Okay." She nodded, pressing her lips together until they turned white. She gave Rogue a hug, pulling back quickly and discreetly dabbing at her eyes with a sniff.

She looked over at Joseph and pointed a finger at him. "You make sure she calls."

"Of course." Joseph hugged Kitty, before heading towards the Blackbird with a wave.

Remy reappeared, exiting the plane and stopping when he saw Joseph, who came to a stop in front of Remy.

They stood in silence for a moment. Remy worked the muscles in his jaw and extended his hand towards him.

"Take care of dem."

Joseph took Remy's hand and gave it a firm shake with a nod. "I will."

He glanced over his shoulder to Rogue, stepping past Remy and climbing the ramp onto the plane.

Rogue made her way over to Remy, and he jerked his thumb towards the plane. "Cole's all buckled in. He's watchin' cartoons right now, I imagine dat'll keep him happy for a while."

The corners of her mouth tugged upwards slightly and she nodded. "Hopefully."

There was a moment of awkward silence, and Remy cleared his throat. "Well... okay."

Rogue stepped towards him, standing on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck and rest her chin on his shoulder. "Promise me you'll visit, Remy. Please."

He hesitantly returned her hug and nodded. "'Course I will."

Her arms tightened around him. "Say it."

"I promise."

She sucked in a deep breath and whispered, "Ah'm sorry, Remy." Her voice was soft and controlled, but her breath hitched slightly. "Ah have to choose Joseph this time."

"Wise choice, chere."

He pressed his lips together, feeling her pull her head back from his shoulder. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, lingering as she rested her forhead against his temple, indifferent to the fact that they had an audience.

"Could you just... say it once?" She whispered.

He watned to pretend that he had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew she'd see through that front. So he let out a resigned sigh and closed his eyes.

"I love you, Anna. I always did. Ain' my fault you chose not t'see it."

She pulled away and cocked an eyebrow. "Chose?"

"C'mon chere," He looked away, "Why did y'think I used t'go out of my way to make Joseph jealous all d'time?"

"Because you couldn't stand him!"

"An' why was dat?"

She put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Ah don't know, because you're an ass?"

He smirked, "Well, dat too."

Remy rubbed the back of his neck, letting another sigh escape his lips. "You better get goin' before Logan has t'come lookin' for you."

She worked the muscles in her jaw and nodded, glancing towards the ramp. "Yeah."

Rogue turned and gave everyone one last farewell wave before moving past him towards the plane, stopping suddenly when Cole bounded past her with his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack in hand.

"I almost forgot!" He skidded to a stop, dropping the bag at Remy's feet and pulling the zipper open. He rummaged around inside for a moment before finally pulling out his prized toy train. "Here." He shoved the train towards Remy.

He kneeled down in front of Cole and shook his head. "P'tite, y'don't have t-"

"I _want_ you to have it. It makes me happy. Maybe it'll work for you too."

Remy looked up at Rogue who offered him a palms up shrug. "Cole honey, you love that train."

"Yeah..." Cole looked down at the train and then back to Remy with a smile. "But I love my Daddy more."

He pinched his lips together tightly and silently took the small toy from Cole's hands.

Cole gave him one final hug, then he hoisted his bag onto his back and took Rogue's hand. She forced down a swallow, watching as Remy numbly stood with the toy train, offering them a final nod.

She nodded back, turning around and leading Cole up onto the jet.

Remy took a few steps backwards when the jet started up, and squeezed his lips together tightly when it took off.

He waited, partially expecting to see it make a U-turn and head right back. Watching as it picked up speed and gained in altitude, until it was no longer visible.

"Hey," He felt a hand on his shoulder and recognized Sarah's voice. "You alright?"

His throat felt tight, so he forced down a swallow and nodded silently, offering her a cavalier smirk from over his shoulder. He wanted to utter some nonchalant comment, but he was sure his voice would fail him. The cocky grin faded, leaving his eyes sad and vacant. He brushed Sarah's hand away and turned, starting towards the door.

"Remy," Kitty called after him. He simply waved her off, feeling the prick of tears behind his eyes as he squeezed the toy train in his hand.

He swallowed hard and shook his head without looking back at the group. "I'm fine." He assured them, and then he disappeared around the corner. He needed a drink

* * *

**_A/N- Almost done! :(_**

**_First, lemme say that this has been an incredible journey, and I have the best reviewers on the planet. Because of your constant words of encouragment, I actually managed to get through this thing. Woo!_**

**_Second, I've posted the first 3 chapters of _The Hand_! Yayyy! And just because I can, I am totally pimping it out. Read it!_ I_ think it's good... And maybe if you do too... you could add a story alert? Maybe a little favoirte story action goin' on there? Y'could... y'could write a couple reviews up for me? Maybe? (okay now I'm starting to sound like Stewie Griffin in my head. You know, when he's bugging Brian about his "novel". lol... if you don't know, youtube it.)_**

**_Third. I don't actually watch Family Guy._**

**_Fourth, for everyone who thought the no sugar thing was parent BS... I'll invite you to sleep over at my place after my child's had a cookie before bed. And then you can be the one to go in and console him in the middle of the night. Yeah. lol_**

**_SparklesInTheSun- Don't worry, Ken is cool and groovy. He thinks I'm his Barbie._**

**_Randirogue - I don't even know where to begin. While I may not immediately use your idea... It's still in my brain. And you're awesome. That is all I can say. :) _**

**_Starlight - President Logan wants you to meet up with him later. It's a "Press" thing. Y'know... "Meet an' greet". "Photo op". Insert eyebrow waggle here._**


	23. Chapter 23

23

"I don't like this..."

Scott took a bite of his ham on rye and rolled his eyes behind his ruby quartz glasses. "I have a feeling I'll regret saying this later, but; You don't like what, Kitty?"

"It's been like," Kitty swung her arm around, her eyes flicking down to her watch-less wrist, "Three hours or whatever, and nobody's heard anything from Remy."

Scott took another bite of his sandwitch and shrugged as he chewed. "I think we'll start to worry when he's gone for something more like three days."

"You don't understand." She looked down the table at everyone else trying to enjoy their lunch. "I don't see how everyone here can be so oblivious to what is going on!"

"We get it. Remy's off licking his wounds somewhere." Bobby shrugged at Jubilee, "Figuratively of course. It sucks not getting your own way. But he'll be fine."

"It's only a year." Jubilee lifted a fork-full of mac and cheese to her mouth and rolled her eyes. "They have web cams."

"Guys! They're in love!" Kitty threw her hands up in the air, "Didn't you see the two of them before she left? It's totally like when Edward left Bella because he thought it was best for her, and then Bella went and got lost in the forest because she was so distraught..."

Jamie's face twisted up and he lifted his PB&J sandwich up, "C'mon Kitty, I'm eating. You're gunna make me sick."

"I'm going to have to side with Jamie and Bobby on this one." Scott said with an official nod. "You tend to romanticize things Kitty. No offense, but it's true."

"I don't know Scott..." Jean frowned and exchanged a look with Kitty. "She may be right."

"And so what if she is? What does that have to do with us? Gambit goes off and drinks himself into a coma on his own time, then that's his problem. Not mine." Scott took an angry bite of his sandwich.

Kitty narrowed her eyes, "Some freakin' leader you are."

Piotr put a hand on Kitty's shoulder in an attempt to settle her down.

"Gambit's got a girlfriend." He flung his free hand towards Sarah. "Which means, not only is it **her** problem, but also that he's not in love with someone else."

"Mr. Sensitivity ladies and gentlemen." Jubilee announced with a smile causing Bobby to crack up.

"Look, as his teammates, it's probably not our problem. But maybe what Kitty means is as his _friends_." Sarah gave Scott a pointed stare.

"Yeah." Kitty plopped her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "What would the Professor do?"

Scott sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes squeezed shut. "The Professor would have eaten lunch in his office."

"I don't think it sends out a good message to the community for a member of the team to go on a drinking binge at 10 in the morning." Jean's eyebrows perked up. "And I doubt Professor Xavier would be too pleased."

"So if he's still gone by the time they get back, we'll send Logan out to find him. Will that make you happy?" Scott scraped his chair back and stood up, not waiting for a response. "I'm going to eat in my room."

xxxx

The sun had begun it's descent into the horizon, casting it's warm rays and long shadows across the sprawling front lawn by the time he arrived back home. As if spending your day drinking in a crumby bar wasn't pathetic enough, finishing up and getting back home before sunset was downright depressing. He managed to creep into the mansion without being spotted, taking the stairs with a pleasant buzz, courtesy of his day at the bar. But unfortunately for him, years of binge drinking had toughened up his liver, making it horribly difficult to actually become blithering drunk. He trudged down the hall towards his room, pausing when he noticed her standing at his door.

"Hey."

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, continuing the short distance to his room. "P'tite, I'm really not in d'mood."

"Bleh. You smell like a bottle of rum threw up all over you." She scrunched up her nose and planted her hands on her hips. "That's not a very good role model for your son, you know."

He stared at her wide eyed for a beat before throwing his hands up in the air. "Are you mentally insane?"

She narrowed her eyes, "No."

"Look around p'tite! Dere's no son here! It's just me!"

"Yeah, but-"

"No." He twisted the doorknob and pushed his door open, stepping into his room with a frown. "Dere is no _yeah but_."

Kitty scoffed, "Yeah...but-"

He shut the door before he could hear her argument any further. She'd probably be pissed with him later for shutting the door on her face, but that was a risk he was willing to take. He sat down on his bed, kicking his feet up and leaning back against the headboard, with a deep breath.

To his dismay, she knocked on the door as hard as she could.

"I was totally worried about you and this is how you treat me? Like I'm some like... stupid solicitor or whatever? Some friend you are!"

He waited a moment, listening to her angry footsteps as she stomped her way down the hall, away from his door.

He let out a sigh.

This was hard. A lot harder than he'd anticipated. Probably because he'd never anticipated her knowing how he felt, and still choosing to leave. And then there was Cole. He reached over and grabbed the toy train off his nightstand, running his thumb along the painted wood. He was better off being raised by someone else anyway, right? What good could he possibly impart on him? Joseph was a good guy, and he'd be a good father figure. Someone for Cole to look up to. He didn't know much about Joe's past, but he knew his upbringing had to be better than his own. Right?

After a while, there was a gentle knock on the door. "Gambit?"

Remy squeezed his lips together tightly and held his breath, hoping she'd get the hint and go away. Instead, she knocked again. "Remy."

"What Kitty?"

"It's dinner. I thought you might want some food..."

"Not hungry."

"But I-"

"Kitty, please." He heaved a sigh and scrubbed his eyes with a frown. "I'm fine. I just want t'be alone."

Her response was soft and muffled by the door, but he heard it loud and clear. "No you don't."

That girl was too damn smart for her own good.

He watched her shadow under the door as she waited for a moment before giving up and walking away.

Another knock on his door caused him to let out a frustrated groan. "What now?"

"It's Sarah. I thought maybe you wanted some company. You know... to talk."

"No thanks."

There was a pause before he heard her let out a breath. "Rogue called."

Remy reluctantly lifted himself off the bed and trudged towards the door, pulling it open a notch.

"When?"

"This afternoon. Before you got back."

"And?"

"They got there safely. A little late, but safe. Logan's pissed because they're off schedule, and now their flying against the jet stream." Sarah smiled, "I think he's going to miss _Dancing With the Stars_."

Remy gave her a nod.

"She wanted to talk to you." Sarah pressed her lips together, "You weren't here so Kitty told her you were in the Danger Room. She'll probably call back tomorrow."

"Probably." Remy gave her a doubtful nod.

Sarah knit her brow. "Are you sure you don't want to talk?"

"I'm sure."

She nodded and took a step back. "Well, I'm here if you need any _distracting_."

He smiled, "Dat's good t'know."

Sarah gave him a wave and he returned into the sanctuary of his room. He flopped back down on his bed and heaved another sigh at the realization that he didn't even want distracting. It wasn't the same. He wanted _her_.

He shut his eyes and rested his head against the headboard, pressing his fingers against his eyelids until he saw stars. Pining wasn't his thing. He needed to gather himself together and move on. He needed a plan.

If it wasn't for Cole, part of that plan would undoubtedly involve packing up and literally moving on. But he needed to be here. Even though Cole wasn't.

The sound of a knock on his door caused his eyes to spring open. The sun was gone from the sky, leaving his room eerily black and the clock on his nightstand read that it was just after 9:30. Booze may not make him drunk anymore, but it sure did make him sleepy.

Another knock. Remy squeezed his eyes shut again and shook his head. "What now Kitty?"

He heard the door quietly open and shut and he did a mental eye roll. Now she was just letting herself in? She was getting a little bit too ballsy for his liking.

"Were you sleepin'?"

His eyes popped open again and he stared into the darkness, fumbling with the lamp on his nightstand. He managed to click it on, and squinted at the sudden burst of light.

"Is everything okay?"

Rogue nodded silently.

"Where's Cole? Is he okay?"

She continued nodding. "He's fine. He's sleeping. It's been a long day." She gave him a tired half smile accompanied with a little shrug.

"What are you... what's... I don't..." He stammered, finding himself unable to form a coherent sentence in the aftermath of sleep, rubbing his hand over his face to ensure that he was in fact awake.

"Um," She sucked in a breath and looked down at her hands. "Well... by the time we got there, ah'd had a lot of time to just think." She sat down on the edge of his bed with her foot tucked underneath her. "For six years ah've been lookin' for a father figure for him. But he doesn't need that anymore. He's got you." She looked away. "Besides, Summer's almost over. He'll start school soon, an' their curriculum over there is totally different from ours..."

"What about d'problems with his powers?"

"Who better to help him with that, then someone who's been through it already?" She chewed her lip, cutting her eyes to the toy train laying next to him on the bed. "And ah told Cole we wouldn't leave any of his trains behind when we moved. An' ah do not break my promises to that boy." She looked back up at him and offered him a half smile. "Since he gave that one to you, ah guess we'll just have to stay here."

Her smile was sincere, but sad. And through his mounting elation with what she was telling him, it suddenly dawned on him.

"What about Joe?"

She pursed her lips and looked down at the space on the bed between them with a silent shrug.

He moved across the bed, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her in a hug with a frown. "Anna..."

"It's okay Remy." She murmured into his shoulder. "I'm fine."

"Liar."

"Ah didn't want to hurt him." She sighed and shook her head, pulling herself away from him. "But the truth is; Ah love you. Ah always did. An' ah never really stopped. Ah guess ah just got really good at forgetting about it. But havin' all your feelings in my brain..." She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "It did a really good job of reminding me."

"Really?"

She let out a breath and opened her eyes with a slow nod.

Remy set his hand along her jaw and knit his brow, "I don't really know what t'say, chere."

"First time for everything." She said, the corner of her mouth tugging up slightly. "The thing is, ah'm not too sure we should do anything about it. Y'know? At this point, ah think we should just focus on tryin' to get along with one another. For Cole."

Remy nodded, "If dat's what you want."

"Ah just... ah think it's easier. Not as messy." She put her hand over his and furrowed her brow. "Start from scratch. Besides, seven hours ago, ah was movin' in with someone. Now ah'm... here."

Remy smoothed his thumb across her cheek and nodded. "Just friends. Got it."

"We made good friends." She whispered.

"Yeah, we did. Made better lovers though, hein?" He grinned and she uttered a soft, tired chuckle.

She looked exhausted. She must have spent the whole day in an emotional hell. And he imagined that Cole hadn't fared any better.

"Go get some sleep chere."

Rogue gave him a nod before pushing herself to her feet as she stifled a yawn. Remy walked her to the door giving her forehead a kiss.

She smiled, lifted herself up on her tip-toes and gently pressed her lips against his before inching back.

"See ya tomorrow."

**Epilogue**

_One Month Later..._

"C'mon Momma, I'm gunna be late!" Cole bounced in place, anxiously looking over his shoulder as the droves of kids rushed into the big brick building behind him.

"Just one more. Promise, this is it. Smile!" She aimed the camera and snapped the photo. Cole had his Ninja Turtle backpack slung over one shoulder and a big, cheesy grin on his face.

"Alright, come here." Remy knelt down and scooped Cole into a big hug. "Make lots a'friends, don't blow anything up, an' if Bobby told you t'do somethin', don't."

Cole giggled and nodded. Rogue pulled him to her and squeezed him tight, planting a kiss on the top of his head.

"One more picture."

"Mom." Cole pulled away and rolled his eyes, adjusting the bag on his back. "I gotta go!"

"Okay, go." She waved him away. "Be safe!" She called after him as he rushed towards the school. "Ah love you!"

He waved over his shoulder, joining the crowd and disappearing through the front doors.

Rogue hugged herself, watching the front doors as if she could see through them.

"Y'okay?"

She nodded and sighed. "Yeah."

Remy hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her in for a hug. "Y'sure?"

She nodded again, glancing up at him. "Yeah, ah'm sure. Ah just can't believe how big he's gettin'." They turned and headed back towards the truck, side by side. "It goes by too fast."

"Tell me about it." He smiled.

They walked in comfortable silence for a minute before Rogue reached out, taking Remy's hand in hers. "Maybe we could go... get somethin' to eat?"

"What do you mean?" Remy looked at her from the corner of his eye. "You mean like a date?"

"I dunno... maybe." She cut her eyes to him and shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I think I saw a Dairy Queen down d'street..." He gave her a smirk. "We could... take Logan's truck for a _spin_..."

Rogue laughed and Remy's smirk grew.

"I think Cole would like a siblin', non?"

She hoisted herself up into the truck with another laugh. "Could you at least buy me an ice cream this time?"

**The end**_._

* * *

_**A/N- Or is it? I'm not sure. I'm totally open to a sequel, but it'd have to be super awesome or else I wouldn't do it. So if you have any ideas (Like the one Randirogue wrote a few chapters back. Seriously. Amazing idea...) I could use as many as I can get my sweaty hands on. **_

_**Yes. I suffer from sweaty hand syndrome. What of it?**_

_**Anyway, I hate to think that this is the last time I'll write Cole... I love him so. So please. Please review. And send me ideas! I love 'em! :D**_

_**Thanks for all the love! It was fun!**_

_**~KC**_

_**PS: Don't forget to check out **_**The Hand_, in theaters now! Except... when I say theaters, I mean "In my profile and not on screen in any way."_**

**_Kapish?_**


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